Arial
by Bethuviel
Summary: Arial lived quietly in her own world, never bothering anyone.Then she took a little unexpected trip and discovered a new world that she did not understand, never asked for, and surely never dreamt of. Not a Mary-Sue or Tenth Walker.
1. Chapter 1

Arial

Chapter One

Headaches and Peace

_by Bethuviel_

_Disclaimer: __**The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing **__**The Lord of The Rings**__**. I receive no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site.**_

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

_**Warning: **__This story is written for fun. My brain is fried from all the serious rewriting of a series of mine and I need a break. This is an original female character I have made up and is not based on any real person. This is not a Mary-Sue, self insert, tenth walker or secret following walker. She will not participate in or alter the quest. She may interact with some of the characters, but this is not a love story. She does not have secret super duper powers given to her by the Valar, nor has any prophesy been stashed away about her only to be revealed by an all knowing elf or wizard. Nor has any destiny been written for her by the Valar. I do not intend to "mess around with canon". But I do intend to have some fun. So let's get on with it._

_May or may not get beta'd. Wendy's been pretty busy with my other stuff, and writing some new stuff too. I'd like to recommend her new series: "Artire's Choice", "Artire's Return", and "Artire's Revenge"._

**oOo**

Arial had a headache, but unlike any ordinary headache she had previously experienced. The pain shot through her temples, eyes, sinuses, and traveled down her neck exploding like fireworks through her nervous system. She labored with every breath she felt forced to take. "Death would feel better," her mind whispered causing painful ripples to traverse through her already stressed body. She clutched the sides of her head with her hands in the desperate hope of squeezing out the pain. In desperation, she banged her head on the surface beneath her head and her eyes flew open in shock. Arial had felt something tickle her ear.

She immediately squinted her eyes to shut out the bright light and with slightly blurred vision, she examined her surroundings. This was not the dark quiet of her bedroom. She lay in an open green field. She winced from the overwhelming pain of the attack of light on her optic nerves and fell unconscious.

Hours later, Arial began to slowly awake. She arched her back and stretched her limbs like a lazy overweight tom-cat. As she inhaled deeply, her sense of smell alerted her to a strange smell. She opened her eyes one at a time, the migraine having vanished, and looked around at her environment. In disbelief, she patted the grass beneath her to check if she was really awake or in a dream. She took another deep breath and exhaled. Arial could not believe how clean the air smelled. She was frightened at not knowing where she was, or her inability to recall how she had gotten there, but still she was curious. Slowly she stood and turned in a circle. She looked up.

"There are no airplanes. None. No trails across the sky either," she said to herself. "I don't hear any cars either. As a matter of fact, I don't hear any signs of civilization." Arial frowned not understanding where she could possibly be located. 

To her left, she could see a mountain range that seemed to be without an end. To her immediate right she could hear the gentle flow of a river. She thought back to her childhood days as a youth scout and remembered she had two choices: she could stay where she was and wait until she was found, or she could follow the river and it would eventually lead her to people. She stood and thought about her limited options. Arial did not know where she was, how she got there or if anyone who knew her knew she was missing or where she was. Arial ruled out the first choice and began walking toward the sound of the river. She was alert. She listened to every sound and would squat down close to the ground when she heard a noise she could not identify. There were many of those sounds and they made her nervous. But she did not let her fear interfere with her need to be found, or find someone who could help her.

Arial walked steady, noting the position of the sun. She guessed it was late afternoon and knew she should hurry. She did not want to be out in the middle of nowhere, by herself, cold and hungry, at night fall. 

She was glancing behind her when she noticed a storm heading in her direction. She picked up her pace and watched for the river she could still hear but not see. Without warning after she broke through some thick brush, Arial stepped onto the river's bank, nearly sliding down and into the water. She fell backward onto her bottom and sat there for a few moments. She suddenly felt at peace. She had no idea why she would feel this way, only that it was like she was blanketed by that feeling of peace. 

Arial knew the storm was approaching and would probably swell the banks of the river, but at that moment, she did not care. She wanted to stay where she was and bathe in the peaceful feeling. This was the one time in her life of twenty two years when she did not have three thousand thoughts and worries racing through her mind. Arial did not want to the feeling to end. She was at total and complete peace with herself, her situation, and her surroundings. 

She fiddled with a string hanging from the seam of her blue jeans and sighed. She looked at her tennis shoes and smiled. She had gotten them as a treat for herself on her birthday not a week past. She had paid too much but she did not care at the time. She had always wanted a pair and everyone she knew was wearing the same kind. When she had gotten them, she felt like a part of her connected with other people around her; like the shoes were a testament that she belonged to the human race and that she was not so different, lonely, and isolated. 

Arial was a pretty girl. She wasn't beautiful, she wasn't plain or ugly, just pretty. Her hair was not lustrous or silky, but if she spent some time with a flat iron and some frizz free spray, she could make her unruly hair lay straight and shiny. Arial did have good skin, and she was proud of the fact. Her nightly ritual included spreading five pounds of moisturizing glupe all over her body. She avoided tanning beds like they were a plague, and always wore makeup with sun protection as part of the formula and sunscreen over the rest of her. Ariel wanted to stay young forever, and the thought of growing old terrified her. She did not want the wrinkles, sags and bags, or anything to do with 'old'. Once a week, she meticulously checked her hair for graying. 

But at this moment, Arial did not worry about anything, she simply sat, watching the fading sun dance on the water's surface. She did not hear the footsteps approaching her. Absent minded, her fingers ripped the bothersome string free from her jeans.

Arial rolled the string between her fingers, staring out at the water. Hairs on her neck stood up and something tingled in her mind. Suddenly, Arial knew she was being watched. She sprung up from her current position, looking back at the way she had came. Her eyes rove over the brush but she could see nothing. She knew someone or something was there. She did not know how but she could feel their presence.

She was defenseless and she knew it. She bent quickly and scooped up some pebbles. "Who's there?" She called out. She waited for a few moments in silence then called again. "I know you're there, show yourself."

A figure stood up from behind the brush a few feet from her and she drew a breath of surprise.

"I will not harm you," said the person's voice.

"Thank ye, that's good to know." Arial held fast to her handful of pebbles, determined to throw them and flee should the situation change.

"You are standing on the banks of the Bruinen, young one, upon my lands, without leave. Might I ask what are your intentions?"

Arial stumbled through her mind, searching for an answer. The voice broke in, "What is your business here?"

Arial spoke up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trespass. I didn't know I was on your property. I was just looking at the river. What'd you call it? The Brew I Nin? Where exactly is that at?"

Askance, the figure looked her over top to bottom.

She moved her arms through the air and said, "Hey, don't look at me like that. It's just that I'm lost. Can't figure out where I am, don't recognize this place." 

"You are on the borders of Rivendell. You are lost? From whence do you hail?" 

Rivendell. She plowed through her memory stores searching for that name. She had never heard of it before. Hoping the man would be able to help her find her way she volunteered an answer. "I'm from Waverly. Waverly Kentucky." She looked at his face and saw that he did not recognize her origins. "You know, the state of Kentucky. The good ol' U.S.A. I'm an American." She continued, hoping something would register on his face. She waited a few moments and said, "Well this is a sorry state of affairs. No one knows nothing. At this rate, I'm never going to get home." She glanced him over and decided he dressed funny.

The man noticed her looking at him and raised his eyebrows at her. 

Wanting to divert his attention she asked, "Say,you think you'd know anybody that might be able to point me in the right direction? It's gonna storm, and I'd like to get back home before I get totally soaked, catch pneumonia and die."

"I am aware that a storm approaches, though I doubt seriously that you would be in any danger of catching pneumonia and dying. My father may be able to help you in your endeavor to return to your home. He is much more studied geographically than I. If you would follow me please." The man turned and began walking away from her. Not wanting to remain in the middle of what she perceived as nowhere, lost and alone, Arial decided to take a chance and follow the man.

**oOo**

_**Author's note:To be continued...so leave me a review and let me know what you think.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Arial**

**Journey of the Lost**

**Chapter Two**

_**By Bethuviel**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I receive no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Arial stumbled and crashed through the brush between her and the receding back of the man who had agreed to take her to his studied father. She smirked. Studied father. She had pictures of a smug pipe smoking old man in his stuffy study wearing small wire rimmed glasses set upon a huge hawkish pointy nose with a mole over the right nostril. She imagined he had thin pale lips stretching over perfect dentures all offset by a small chin. He probably wore polyester. And a fat thick tie from the seventies. She giggled at the picture she had painted causing the man in front of her to stop and turn around.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

She was drawn of out her daydreams by his smooth voice. "I'm fine, thank you."

He turned and continued walking. Arial thought he was strange too. He looked like he had just stepped out of some arty production of a middle ages play. That sword at his side looked real though. And those arrows with that authentic looking bow. Arial started walking slower, suddenly not sure she had made the correct choice. He had a hood over his head. She wasn't really sure what he looked like.

"Oh my god!" she thought. "I'm being led back to be murdered and ate by cannibal inbreds." She followed, but started easing off in a more southern direction. Just a little bit more and…

"Do not wander off for you will place yourself in great danger." The hooded man turned and looked at her. "I swear to you by all that is good and right, I will not harm you, nor allow you to be harmed." He started walking towards her and Arial froze. She knew she could not outrun him.

He slowly reached up and removed his hood. He let it drop down onto his shoulders and she could not help but stare at him. He was beautiful. Creepy beautiful. She thought he was so beautiful he was almost ugly from it. It was like everything perfect had been thrown onto his face and somehow all that perfection just did not work together as well as it should have. Her thoughts rambled on until she saw his ears. Her mouth dropped open. In shock she slammed her jaws shut, embarrassed she had openly stared at what was his birth defect. She knew better, she had been raised better and here she was, making a disgrace of herself and her name by calling unwanted attention to the poor guy's afflicted ears. It was ok to notice, not ok to stare and certainly not with an open mouth. Ashamed of herself, she looked down and away quickly.

The man stepped closer to her and held his hands out from him in a sign of his intentions. "I mean you no harm. You are safe with me. I am leading you to a safe haven." He almost cooed the words at her. She just stood there, rubbing the ground with the toe of one of her shoes.

"You're not mad at me?" She asked timidly.

"Angry? No, why would I be?"

"You're not leading me back to be killed and ate?"

"Are you having a delusion? Do you feel well child?" Like thick syrup, his voice was laden with concern.

"Delusion? No. I'm not crazy. Some folks joke around and say I might be, but in reality, naw, I ain't crazy. I'm as sane as the next feller."

Confusion rested upon his face as he stared back at her trying to decipher what she had said. Arial looked up at him and quickly clarified, "No, I am sane." He nodded his head at her as he stopped just in front of her.

"You are feeling uneasy. Forgive me. When I found you, I was agitated that you had interfered with my scouting for tomorrow's scheduled hunt. I failed to properly introduce myself to you." He stepped back from her before continuing, "I am Elrohir, son of Master Elrond, Lord of Imladris. I and my family are at your service." With a flourish and a wave of his hand, he bowed before her. He rose up and waited expectantly.

Arial was dumbfounded and it took her a few seconds to gather her wits. "Arial Middleton, daughter of Michael and June Middleton of Waverly Kentucky. It is both an honor and a privilege to make your acquaintance, Good Sir." She did a curtsy wishing she knew how to perform a proper southern bow and hoping that her response was correct.

"The honor is mine," Elrohir replied. He swept to her side and offered his arm to her. She gladly took it and they continued on their way for a few moments.

"Pardon me, Mistress Arial, but I could not help but notice that my ears drew your attention."

Arial interrupted him stammering, "Please forgive me, I did not mean to stare."

"There is nothing to forgive, it is obvious that you have never seen an elf before." Arial stopped and pulled her arm out of his.

"Did you say an elf?"

"Yes."

"But elves aren't real, are you still in character for your play? If you are it's ok, you're back in the real world, time to be human again." Elrohir raised his eyebrows again. "Don't go raising your eyebrows at me mister 'I'm an elf'!"

It was Elrohir's turn to be surprised. "I assure you that I am as you said, in the real world, and that I am indeed of the firstborn, an elf. I am only half Atani, Peredhil."

Arial whipped around in front of him and without warning reached up and grabbed the tip of his ear intending to tear off the stage makeup. Elrohir had not expected that sort of reaction from her, knocked her hand away, then cushioned his throbbing ear with his hand.

"By the Valar! What do you think you are doing?" He cried out. "If you were not a female, I would knock you on your bottom!" He bent his head down at her and commanded, "Do not do that again!" He stepped around her and resumed walking home.

"O Crap!" Arial eeked in her panic voice. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry. Hey wait up….come on, I'm sorry I didn't believe you…"

Elrohir kept walking ahead of her, not willing to be grabbed again. "You just come along, back there. Safer for the both of us I deem." He looked as if he were stomping, except he left no footprints. Arial ran up next to him.

"Look, I'm sorry. I did not mean to hurt you." She got in front of him forcing him to stop again. She held her hands in front of her facing him. "Where I'm from, people don't have pointed ears, and the only elves existing are pictures on cookie cartons and in children's books okay. I thought you were just playing me."

Elrohir eyed her suspiciously. She continued expounding her ignorance pointing at his ears which caused Elrohir to jump back away from her, "I thought they were a birth defect."

"I am not defective." He simply stated.

"So what exactly is an elf? You're the first I've ever met, and how come no one knows about you?"

Elrohir sighed. "Iluvatar created the elves first and gifted us with the mortality of this earth, Arda. At the end of Arda when all will sing a new song before Eru, we will be renewed. Atani, the race of men were created second by Iluvatar. They were gifted with the doom of men, they must die. Where they go after death we do not know, and are not certain if they exist after death or not, or are forced to lie in their tomb until the song is sung again and they are remade."

Elrohir saw that she was perplexed and waited for another round of questioning. He began walking again, taking her arm in his.

She stumbled along, trying to figure out exactly what he had said, and if it was true or if _El row her _was a recent escapee from the insane asylum. She shook her head and decided to play along with his delusion.

"Are you calling God _Ill loo va tar? _Is that what they call him around here, _Ill loo va tar_?"

Elrohir smirked at her pronunciations and wondered briefly what his name would sound like coming out of her mouth. "Iluvatar is the creator of all things."

"So he's God."

"If you prefer."

"Who's _Eeroo_?"

"Another name for…God."

"So, let me get this straight, Elves were created first by God, then humans. Elves get to live forever, and humans get to die?" Elrohir nodded. "Well why would you want to live forever? Don't you age, get all wrinkly and decrepit?" She bent over and snarled her fingers in an attempt to mimic arthritic hands.

Elrohir bit his lips to try and control his laughter. "No we do not age."

"Oh really, and just how old are you?"

Elrohir was sure she had not meant to be rude, and decided to answer her question. "Two thousand summer seasons have passed since the day of my begetting." Her shock and disbelief was apparent. She reached a finger up and poked his chest, causing him to frown and back away.

"Oh, sorry. Forgot about the no touching thing. Well you hold up good. Any chance I can get some of this immortality stuff? What is it, some kind of potion, shot or something like that yer given at birth?"

"Did you not listen? I said it was a gift of the Iluvatar. It is not for the race of men. You can not obtain it by any means except from him."

Arial was crest fallen. She wanted to be immortal, and it would have definitely proven to her that he was not some crack pot she happened upon out in the wilds of nowhere. They continued the journey in silence, for which Elrohir was grateful.

She noted the slow changes in the terrain. Trees, bigger than any she had ever seen jotted the landscape and were becoming more numerous qualifying as a forest. The grounds were cleaner without the scraggy undergrowth. She could hear birds chirping in the braches overhead. She felt something hit her free arm and looked at it. The storm had arrived and it had begun to drizzle. The ground began to slope downward and soon she found herself walking on a well maintained pathway next to a cliff. She looked out over a valley and drew in a quick sharp breath at the scene below her. The dale below the cleft of the mountain was lush with thick foliage so rich in it's color green that Arial had to blink to make sure her eyes were correctly sending information to her brain. She felt like she had stepped into a picture that had been painted by a grand master. "Oh my," she sighed.

"Come Arial, lest you get totally soaked, catch pneumonia and die," jested Elrohir. Arial smiled at him and followed him around the mountain and over a stone bridge.

"Is this where you live?" She asked.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Arial."

Her attention drawn to the exquisite environment, Elrohir led her like a child at a spectacle. Arial was amazed at the blending of the architecture and nature. She had never before witnessed the existence of both in such harmony and peace, as if both had mated into one living thing, yet each it's own. Arial was glad she had agreed to follow Elrohir to this place, even if it led to her death. She was sure she would never again see anything to compare to the beauty she saw before and around her.

Suddenly she was standing in a marbled foyer, dripping water. She came to her senses and began looking for a door mat to stand upon. Another elf came and spoke to Elrohir in a language she did not understand but found appealing. That elf disappeared and in a few moments another appeared laden with large thick towels which were passed to her first, then also to Elrohir.

Arial patted herself dry as best as she could then wrapped herself with one extra large one. She did not fail to notice the ears on everyone and had not even hid the fact that she was looking. She was getting somewhat uncomfortable realizing the fairy tale had come to life around her. Elrohir took her arm as best as he could through the towel wrapped around her and led her into the hall of fire.

Arial instantly began to warm and helped herself to a cushioned chair close to the blazing fire in the hearth. She bent her legs to the side and place them under her. She did not care if she was displaying bad manners, she was still wet, chilled, and now hungry.

She had just gotten settled when another tall dark haired man with pointed ears floated into the room. Elrohir turned, greeted the man, and called him, Arial thought _Ad tar. _Elrohir spoke to him in the same language as he did to the other elf in the door. She saw the new elf raise his eyebrows the same way Elrohir did and surmised that they must be related to one another.

_Ad tar_ stepped towards her and she stood up, grasping the towel tightly around her. "Greetings Arial, I am Master Elrond, Lord of Imladris and Elrohir is my son. He informs me that you are lost and are in need of assistance, to which I offer my services."

Arial curtsied again and replied, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Elrond."

Elrond gestured with his hand to the chair she had been sitting in, "Please sit down and be at ease. Here you are safe, and none will harm you. I give you my word."

"Thank you."

Elrohir pushed a settee behind his father and Elrond sat down upon it directly in front of Arial. He turned his head away from her and spoke to Elrohir, "Thank you. Please leave us." Elrohir nodded and obeyed his father's request.

Arial took advantage and studied his ear. Except for the tip on the top, it looked normal. Then he turned his head and she knew he had exposed his appendage on purpose. She could not help but look into his eyes. She knew in an instant that everything Elrohir had told her about firstborn, Ilu…Ilu…God, and humans was true. Arial saw the depths of wisdom swirling in Elrond's eyes, and something else that made her relax in her chair. She saw long ages of time. He was old beyond concept yet ageless to look upon. Elrond sat patiently, allowing her to come to terms with the truth before her. After a few moments she turned her head away, looked into the fire and whispered, "Where am I?"

Elrond spoke softly not wanting to scare the young daughter of man huddled in the chair before him. "Arial, you are in my home, in Imladris." He paused before continuing, "In Middle Earth." Elrond studied her. He knew she was not of Arda. Her demeanor, her clothing and the materials used in their construction, her speech and the words she chose whispered information to him. He waited again for her reaction.

"What do you mean, Middle Earth? I have never heard of such a place. And take no offense, but elves do not exist where I'm from. The government would have all of you whisked off to some secret lab out in area 51. It's like I've fell into some other dimension or something or another."

Elrond could see that Arial was displaying signs of distress and decided that the most direct course would better serve the situation at hand. "I will not try to mislead you, Arial. I have never before seen clothing of the type that you wear, nor of the materials from which they are made. I know nothing of this dimension you speak of, but I am sure that if we work together we can determine what has happened, from whence you hail, and therefore able to return you to your own."

She spun her head toward him with eyes wide. "I am from Waverly Kentucky. I only want to go home."

Elrond sat straighter, the words stumbling through his head. He had never heard of such a place. "Waverly Kentucky." He knew his geography well, and knew that no such place existed. "Are you sure that is the name of your village."

"Yes, I know the name of my own home. And it's not a village, it's a small city. Waverly, Kentucky. You know, Kentucky, the United States….of America…." She saw the look on his face and knew he had not heard of her home. "Elrohir reassured me that you were well studied in your geography…"

Elrond bit his lip, then said, "Mistress Arial, I am. I know every inch of this Middle Earth, and there is no place called Waverly Kentucky, or any United States of America. Did you receive a bump to your head?"

Arial rubbed her hands through her head and sighed, "No I didn't get any bumps to the ol' noggin'. Look, you got a map? Maybe I can figure this out with a map."

"I own several. Follow me please to the library." Elrond rose and led her down a passage way. She followed, no longer caring about architecture or nature. Arial's only interest lay in finding her home and maybe an I-told-you-so.

Elrond was at a loss. He had never heard of such a place. He mentally sighed. He thought Arial walked like a bull stomping through a pasture. He had hoped those funny shoes of hers would have cushioned her footsteps better, resigned himself to being wrong and having to listen to her stomp through his house. Even Estel was quieter and he was human. He led her into his library and heard her gasp in awe. Well at least she could appreciate beauty. He pretended to not notice and went to a large oak table that kept his numerous maps of Arda.

"Mistress, these are the maps you requested. Please, feel free to look through them." He waved his hand over them.

Arial looked at the maps. They were on some kind of yellowish brown paper she didn't recognize. They looked old and she was afraid to touch them for fear they would crumble. She stepped up to the table and gingerly took one by the edge. The paper was stronger than she anticipated. She was amazed. She had never felt paper like this before. Remembering the task at hand she pushed the thought away and began to look the map over top to bottom. Elrond watched her as she frowned.

"What is the matter?" He asked.

"I don't recognize any of this. Not even the names of the countries. The shore line seems kinda familiar, but it's not ringing any bells. Where exactly is this Middle Earth in relation to other continents?"

"Continents? What do you mean?"

"You know, lands across this ocean on the map?" She pointed to it with her finger.

"Mistress Arial, I assure you, there are no other lands. You are looking at the whole of Middle Earth." Arial fell into a chair behind her with a slight thump.

"But this can't be. Where's the U.S.? Where's Europe? And China? And Africa? And all the other countries?" She shuffled through the maps on the table, searching for anything that might look familiar.

Elrond leaned in closer, worried for her.

"But this can't be all. I mean, where's everything else?" She looked up at him expectantly. Her voice climbed up a few octaves and she was showing signs of extreme distress. Elrond took a silent step closer to Arial. She wasn't making any sense.

"Mistress.."

"Stop calling me Mistress!" she interrupted. Elrond stood straight, not used to being addressed in such a manner. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off, it's just…"Arial looked up at him, "I don't understand this. None of these maps of yours make any sense. I made A's in world geography, and I have never heard of anyplace called Middle Earth, Gondor, Rohan or a mountain range called the Misty Mountains. None of this corresponds to anything I've studied. Or to the world for that matter." She flopped her head onto the table and regretted it. "Now I got a bump on my head." She pointed at it with her hand. She closed her eyes and thought about tapping her heels three times.

Elrond swallowed hard and squeezed his stomach muscles tight to keep from laughing at the girl. Elrond pulled a chair next to Arial and sat down beside her.

"Where'd you get these maps?" She asked, an idea forming in her head.

"I made them. They are accurate," he replied. She opened one eye and peeked at him. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"So these are not the standard accepted maps of the world, just something you drew up?" She raised her head up and held it in place with her hands on her chins and elbows on the table.

"Arial, I am the keeper and master of knowledge in this world, and these maps are copied by permission and distributed throughout all Arda." Elrond did not understand her reaction to the maps and asked, "Did you eat anything strange or unknown to you? Perhaps drank some water from a contaminated source? Eat any wild berries? Mushrooms?"

Arial shook her head no. "There's nothing wrong with me. I swear it."

Elrond brushed his robes smooth over his thighs and said, "This is not making any sense."

"What was your first clue?" mumbled Arial.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

Arial ducked her head, "Sorry. Just frustrated."

"Perhaps if you tell me of your land, maybe then I can help."

Arial scooted sideways in her chair and rested her hand on one hand using the other one to wave around as she talked. "Well, let's see. I live at 413 Maple Street in Sherwin Oaks. That's a subdivision. That's off a Moorland that comes off of highway 127 west. There's a super Wal-mart, folks was glad to see that come in. There's the theatre, Regal 18, couple supermarkets, Kroger's, Food Lion, Food City, and oh yeah a bunch of banks and car dealerships. And we got the mall, West Town Mall. I like shopping there the best 'cause of Abercrombie, and all the cool shops. You know we was state champions last year in basketball. Went all the way. I know 'cause I played in the band. The Waverly County Marchin' Cardinals. We were pretty good. Won a lot of competitions."

Elrond masked his confusion and tried to discern the information she was spouting out of her mouth at an incredible rate of speed. He had never heard of such things or places and in truth had no idea what she was talking about.

"Umhum," he interrupted her. She looked up at him, hopeful. Maybe he had heard of their county band. "Arial, let's start simpler. Who is the lord of your land?"

"Lord? What do you mean?"

"The ruler of your people and lands." It was a simple question, he did not understand her difficulty.

"We ain't got no ruler, king or queen. We're free. We got a president and we all vote for him. Now them Brits, they got a queen, Queen Elizabeth. But she don't rule that country either, they got something called a parliament and a house of lords and what not. She goes before one of them, I forget which one every so often and tells 'em what all she'd like for 'em to do. I think she's more of a figure head, though they all love her."

Now Elrond was perplexed. A land who voted for something called a president, and another land of people call Brits with a queen who did not rule. It was obvious he would not be able to identify her home by who ruled it so he thought of another question he hoped would help him. "Who are the gods of your land?"

Arial perked up. "Well we got a few actually. But generally it all boils down to one who goes by a lot of different names. The difference really comes in how people worship him. You got the Christians, they believe Jesus is the son of God. Then you got the Muslims, they believe Mohammed is the Prophet of God who they call Allah. Then you got the Jews who don't believe Jesus is the son of God. Those is the three biggies and they generally fight a lot over their beliefs. A lot of people have fought and died over religion. But mostly all the fighting is done over in the middle east. People in my country just argue a lot with each other over it. Hardly ever comes to violence."

Elrond thought about what she had just told him. A land where people worshipped the same god by different names, and fought over who was worshipping him the right way. He thought that was ridiculous and wondered why the peoples could not worship whatever way they saw fit and let everyone else do the same and coexist peacefully. Probably the same problem that existed in Arda, someone thought they had the right to tell everyone else what to do and would resort to any means possible to achieve that dominion. Elrond concluded that greed and evil were the same no matter from where one hailed. But he still did not have the answer he sought.

"Arial, your lands sound strange to my ears, for I have never heard of a Queen Elizabeth, Brits, supermarkets Kroger Food Lion and Food City. I have never heard of Christians, Muslims or Jews, or of this prophet Mohammed or Jesus who may or not be the son of the God that is also called Allah that each group worships separately. I had hoped that your answers would provide me with a general location of your country. I will ask you some specific questions and I need you to answer truthfully."

"Okay." Arial was confused. Where had these people been? Who did not know of the problems in the middle east? Who did not go grocery shopping? Never heard of the Queen? Arial got the feeling that something was definitely wrong.

"Arial, have you ever sailed in a ship on the water?" He thought perhaps she was from a strange land heretofore unknown by any in Arda. Dashing his hopes, she shook her head no. Elrond grew suspicious. What if she were an agent of Sauron's and this were some clever ploy of his? Perhaps Sauron had gotten news of the council that had been called and Arial was a spy of his sent to find out about the ring. It would be just like Sauron to use someone so young and innocent to infiltrate the council. Elrond studied the girl closer. "Look at me Arial." She sat up and he drew her gaze into his own. He did not ask permission or bother to explain his intent. If the defenses of Imladris could be so easily invaded, he had to know now.

Arial felt herself relaxing. Her body slumped as he penetrated her mind. She felt no danger to her person and believed she had slipped into a daydream. Elrond searched her mind and found no trace of Sauron or any of his agents. But what he did discover astonished him. He withdrew. He put his hands to his head and tried to stop the rush of pictures flooding his own mind as his brain tried to dissect the foreign substance.

"How can this be?" He asked himself aloud. He felt discombobulated. He could not believe what the journey had revealed, but he saw the supermarkets, religious fighting, and her home. He saw her parents, and others of her memories. He saw the schools she had attended and the maps. Her world was not his world. Her world was frightening to him. Yet he knew that her world was no threat to his own. Her world was not a part of his world and a great void separated them. Elrond sat back in his chair and relaxed. How could this be? Two separate worlds existing at the same time yet in different spheres? Her gods were different from his. The Valar did not exist in her world. Illuvatar did exist, but he had different Valar-Beings who performed differently. And there was an evil there, a cruel malice much like Morgoth and Sauron. But he had his answer, she was no agent of the dark. Imladris was safe.

Elrond felt a twinge of his conscious. He prayed the Valar would forgive him for what he had just done. He had invaded the mind of another without permission, and without justifiable cause, only fear filled suspicion. He looked up at Arial, still slumped in her chair and glassy eyed. "Arial," he called. She immediately awoke, unaware of what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, Elrond. I must have dozed off." She stretched and yawned.

Elrond smiled sympathetically, "Do not concern yourself. It is a small thing of no great importance."

"What was the question?"

"I asked if you had ever sailed on a ship?"

"No. I saw that movie, where the ship sinks and all those people die, and have been too paranoid since. Be my luck, the one I got on would sink too."

Elrond knew she spoke truthfully. He did not know how to tell her about what he had done, and the truth of the situation. An uncomfortable silence settled about them. Arial tapped her fingers on the table, driving Elrond to distraction.

"Arial, could you stop doing that please?" She looked up, smiled and sat back in her chair. "Arial, there is something I must tell you."

"What?"

"Arial, I must ask you to forgive me." Arial scooted back in her chair, not sure where this was going. "I have done something that I regret, but that has given me the answers we seek."

"What are you talking about, Elrond?"

"Arial, I am an elf, and have certain skills. I looked into your mind Arial."

Arial could not believe what she had just heard. "You did what?"

"I asked you to look at me, remember? I looked into your mind Arial. I saw the faces of your parents, family, friends….your world."

"Prove it."

"Your father is slightly balding, bent with age and wears a beard. Your mother likes to color her hair, wears glasses and is full of laughter." Arial's mouth fell open and she frowned. "Please, understand, when your answers could shed no light on our situation, I grew fearful you were a spy of Sauron." He saw she was confused at the mention of Sauron. "Sauron is a great evil that plagues this world and threatens the free peoples of it. I thought you were a spy of his sent here to undermine…that you were a spy of his."

"Spy? Wait just a minute here! I'm no spy! And…and.." she trailed off. How could he know what her father and mother were like. She did feel weird just before he said her name when she yawned and stretched. "How dare you! How friggin' dare you! Who do you think you are?" Arial jumped up out of the chair and stood glaring at Elrond.

"I came here, needing your help. And this is what you do to me? How dare you go poking around in my head. Ever heard of invasion of privacy?"

Elrond stood slowly. Her understood her anger and she had every right to be angry with him. He had invaded her privacy.

"I apologize Arial, truly. Please, I beg your forgiveness. Please allow me to explain, please, Arial."

She was breathing hard and looked like she might hit him. "Go 'head."

"Here, in my world, there is a great evil that threatens our very lives. We are on the verge of war. This evil has a name, Sauron. He would have dominion over all these lands, peoples, everything. He will suffer no other. He will destroy everything that is good and worth living for. He will destroy every living breathing thing on this world in his greed to rule. He has no pity, no mercy, no love at all in him, only cruelty. He laughs at the suffering of others and finds delight in it. Sauron will destroy this world and everyone and everything in it. His own land is a dark wasteland devoid of life, the very air a poisonous vapor to breath. His malice knows no end. Many times has he sought to invade my land and the lands of others. Many times we have turned back his evil. Now, he has massed great armies behind his black gates and we wait for the attack. We know not where he will strike first or when, only that he will. The free peoples of this world wait for the doom of our time."

Arial stepped back and started to run, sure that Elrond was a madman, yet something of her own will held her to his words. She knew he spoke the truth. She could sense it.

"I know why we could not identify your home. I know why certain words of yours were strange to my ears. I know why your clothing and shoes are made of materials strange to my eyes. I know why you behave so differently from the females of my world. I know Arial."

A click sounded in Arial's brain. Elrond kept saying 'my world.' She held her breath for his answer.

"You are not of my world, Arial. I know because I saw yours." He tapped the side of his head and stared at her waiting for her reaction.

Elrond expected some dramatic display of emotion. He stood up slowly, intending to walk over to her. Arial did the unexpected. She turned, ran and bolted out of the front door allowing the rain to blow inside of the house.

**oOo**

_**Author's note: **__Please review and let me know what you think so far. Chapter Three on the way soon….._


	3. Chapter 3

**Arial**

**Stubbornness**

**Chapter Three**

_**By Bethuviel**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Elrond sprinted to the front door and called her name. Arial did not slow or pause, but kept running. The rain blew inside the doorway forming a small pool of water in the foyer of The Last Homely House. He called again, but for his own reasons, Elrond allowed her to continue her flight. He watched until she was a speck moving across the horizon. He stepped back and shook the water from his robes and hair. Disgusted, he walked to the warmest room in his home. Elrond did not feel the dampness of the air or the chill, but he did feel the need for the comfort of a blazing fire.

In the Hall of Fire, Elrond dropped his head in sorrow. He had expected Arial to faint, cry, stomp her foot, anything but run away. He looked at the imprint still in the chair where she had sat, then at the towels she had used. Vaguely, he wondered if she knew how to start a fire; humans caught the cold so easily. He would not ride out after her, nor would he send riders for her. She would have to come to terms with the truth of the matter on her own. Knowing she could not survive for very long, Elrond expected her to return. He also knew that she would have to return on her own of her own free will. He sighed mentally and accepted his part in her running away. Elrond stood straight, drew a deep cleansing breath, walked out of the Hall of Fire and to his study. He had some final preparations to look over for the council that he had called and was expecting more guests to arrive in the morning.

Elrond was exasperated and mumbled to himself as he shuffled through some loose papers on his desk, "I have enough to concern myself at present. Those two hobbits, Meriadoc and Peregrin." He snorted. "Frodo is better, yes much better, talking to Bilbo. Poor little Bilbo. Like water pouring out of a bucket, age has come upon him." Elrond set the papers down and looked out of a window into his wife's gardens. "I will not allow that cursed ring to stay here. We can not fight both Sauron and Saruman. Why can no one understand the time of the elves is ending and we will sail from these shores to our blessed hope? We are no longer Arda's husbandmen. Who will stand in our place?" He watched the rain drops hit the closed petals of Celebrian's roses. "I will see you again, my love. I am coming. Wait for me a little longer; soon we will reunite, never to separate again. I promise." He dabbed at the dampness around his eyes with his fingertips. "Soon, my love. Soon."

**oOo**

Arial ran out of the Last Homely House. She ran even when she heard Elrond call her name. She dared not slow down, but kept to the path that Elrohir had previously led her. She was glad she had paid attention to the details of the trees, flowers, and shrubbery. Arial could navigate using those landmarks. Soon she was under the cleft of the mountain of the dale she had just left. Sharp pains tore through her abdomen but she forced herself to continue running, controlling her breathing. "The pain feels good, the pain feels good," she thought in an effort to keep running. When she was back to where she had originally been found by Elrohir at the Bruinen, she fell to the ground, gasping for air. She looked back the way she had come and watched to see if anyone had followed her. She kept blinking the rain out of her eyes to clear her vision. After she had caught her breath she sat up, having decided that she was alone, again.

Arial watched the water flow quickly past her and knew she could not safely cross the river. She looked at the mountains in the distance and decided that would be her course. Perhaps on the other side she would find saner people without the pointed ears. "This is too weird," she thought. "From another dimension my rear end. I bet they're all just hootin' it up right now. He almost had me there for a minute…until I got some sense. Daddy always said I never had much common sense. Well I got more 'en that. Another dimension…" She stood up and looked at herself. "I've got to find some shelter."

Her clothes were soaked, and her hair was stuck to her head. Droplets of water fell onto her already wet shoulders and ran down her back. "I'm a muddy mess," she told herself. "Be lucky if I don't catch pneumonia and die out here…" She walked as steady as she could in the moisture sodden terrain. She slipped and fell a few times, adding more decoration to her already bedraggled appearance. She spied a copse of trees and knew that area would be her best chance to find a shelter of sorts. She sludged on, determined to arrive before she turned into a waterlogged prune.

The trees were large, with their boughs full of fir laden branches. She leaned against one and rested. The muscles in her legs throbbed and burned, and her bones ached. Arial was not used to such physical exertions. Before this trip into paradise, her daily exercise routine consisted of walking back and forth to the refrigerator and the bathroom in her house. She decided she needed a fire and wondered around looking at the wood laying on the ground. She picked what she thought was not soaked through and began making a pile next to a tree that shielded her from most of the rain. When she had a mound equal to half of her five foot seven inch frame, she plopped down and fingered her jean pockets until she found her lighter. She pulled it out and realized she wanted a cigarette. They were at home on the nightstand beside her bed. "Shit!" She yelled. "Now what am I going to do? Bet these freaks don't believe in a good ol' fashioned Nat Sherman." She dug around in her pockets and pulled out the clothes dryer fuzz. She looked at it hard and knew she didn't have enough to start a fire. She grabbed at the bottom of the cotton pocket and pulled it out. She yanked hard until it ripped free and repeated the process with her other front pocket. She realized she needed wood for her fire and stuffed the cotton down her bra to keep it dry. Arial got up again, removed some of the wood from her pile and set it meticulously on the ground close to where she would sit down. When she was satisfied, she sat back down and removed the cotton from her bra. She worked her fingers in between the wood and placed the cotton where she thought she would have the best chance of it catching the wood. She removed the other piece and put it in a different spot. She worked her lighter inside and flicked it. The cotton caught fire and she blew on the wood. She inhaled and blew until she felt lightheaded. At last when she thought she would faint, the fire caught the wood and she leaned back. "Take that you pointy ears." The fire was a little smoky but she did not care. She could feel the heat. She needed the warmth and could feel it already seeping into her tired body. Afraid the fire would go out, she fought to stay awake. She did not want to give up anymore of her clothing for wadding to start another fire. She smirked. She thought back to the sixties and a picture she had seen in a history book she had studied. If she were really desperate, she could start a women's movement here and burn her bra. She giggled at the thought. She was no feminist and she knew it.

Sometime that evening the rain stopped. Arial looked up and saw the moon beginning its journey as the sun set on the horizon, its last rays peeking through the cloudy sky. She put her back against the tree, bent her legs and hugged her knees. She wondered vaguely about the time, and if anyone from home noticed her absence. Would they search for her? Would they fill out the three thousand papers for a missing persons report? She let her imagination run various scenarios as she poked at the fire with a stick and watched the escaping embers drift upwards. Suddenly she worried about catching the small forest on fire. She was alert again, watching and hoping she had not created a disaster. She could hear Elrond's voice in her head accusing her, "You come to our world and set it on fire. _**You**_ are the _doom_ of our time." That thought caused her to start thinking about other words he had said to her. One thing that ate at her was how did he know what her parents looked like? She began to wonder if just maybe Elrond was not so crazy. "What if it were all true?" She asked herself. "As crazy as it sounds, what if it were all true. Somehow I passed through some dimensional thingy and wound up here?" She shook her head. "It's just too crazy to believe, like some weird late night television science fiction show."

Arial thought about the maps. They were so detailed. What had he said….Master Keeper of Knowledge. And she had tried to rip off the points of Elrohir's ear only to discover they did not come off. Even the servant had pointed ears. People generally did not keep members of their family as servants, so it was not a genetic disorder. Arial thought more of what he said concerning the doom of our time. It was too fantastic to believe, but there it was laid bare before her like a feast on a banquet table. She shook her head again and felt something sharp poke into her right cheek. Surprised she jumped away. She looked up and saw a figure pointing an arrow knocked in a bow at her.

"Oh my god," she stammered repeatedly.

A voice spoke back to her, "I do not think your god hears you for he has not answered your urgent summons even though we have been patient and waited."

Arial shut her mouth and thought for a few seconds about what the man had said. "He thinks I'm calling on a god," she thought then she spoke aloud, "Please don't kill me. I don't want to die. Especially not now."

The man cocked his head to one side and asked, "Why not now?" Another figure discreetly elbowed the speaker in the ribs.

Arial could not believe this. "Well this is just friggin' rich. Let's just see how many reasons I can come up with and maybe you'll understand why. One, I like living. Two, I'm in no hurry to die. Three, It'll probably hurt." She paused a moment while she pushed the arrow away from her face then growled, "Four, I'm hungry, and don't want to spend eternity that way." She sighed and continued, "Five, I'm lost and don't want to die when I don't even know where I am and no one will probably ever find my body and I won't get buried right and animals will chew on me and…" She stood up and continued talking a good five minutes before she noticed that the five figures surrounding her had lowered their bows and arrows and were staring at her with their mouths gaping open. She lowered her head and finished, "Anyway, today's just not a good day for me to die. Tomorrow's not looking good either. As a matter of fact, how 'bout just never."

One man stepped forward, removed his hood and revealed his face. "Mistress, please forgive me. I will not harm you, nor will any here allow you to be harmed."

"Oh, you were just playing around…okay…I get it…ha ha ha." Arial looked at the man like he were a jackass.

"Did you say you are lost?" The man asked, wanting to change the subject.

Arial perked up to an almost cheerful disposition and replied, "Yes I am. Right good too. Barely escaped from a bunch of loony's running around in stage clothes trying to convince me that I've fallen into another dimension. I tell you, some people!" The men waited for her to tell them about some people and noticing that she no intention of speaking shifted their weight from one foot to another. "Say," she started again causing the men to suddenly pay attention again. "You tell me where I'm at?"

The same man who had spoken to her before said, "First allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, of Green Wood the Great. I am at your service, Mistress." He bowed to her.

Arial watched as he rose again and returned the introduction, "Arial Middleton, daughter of Michael and June Middleton, of Waverly, Kentucky. It is an honor and a privilege to make your acquaintance." Arial hoped she did not have to go through this every time she met someone new. It was getting tiresome. "And please, call me Arial." She wasn't sure if being called mistress was good or bad, but she knew she did not like being called by that reference.

Legolas smiled at her, "A pleasure to meet you Arial. My traveling companions," he pointed with his hand for each, "Elladan, son of Master Elrond, of Rivendell." He stepped forward and bowed to her. She thought he looked just like Elrohir and knew that previous comment of hers would not go well. She bit her lip as she inclined her head to him in acknowledgment. "Estel, son of Master Elrond, of Rivendell," Arial wondered how many people were related to that man as she inclined her head again, "And hailing from Green Wood the Great, I present Rumil, son of Orin, and Olwin, son of Euraphais." Legolas studied Arial, not sure what sort of person he had stumbled upon; certainly no lady of any stature from any of the finer families. She was common, that much was obvious, and certainly beneath one of his station, but none-the-less a woman in need of assistance.

Arial was unsure of what to do. She could not run again, she was surrounded by people who knew Lord of the Pointy Ears Elrond. She knew she could not follow them back to Rivendell or allow them to take her there again after calling the inhabitants loons.

Legolas began the conversation again, "You said you were lost, Arial. And your home is in Waverly, Kentucky?" He was truly at a loss. He had never heard of such a place and could not recall ever having read or studied anything that contained a mention of it.

"Yes, Waverly Kentucky. Let me guess, you've never heard of it either?" She was rude and she knew it. Arial did not care, but had decided that rudeness was her best chance to be rid of them and on her way hopefully home. Perhaps on the other side of those mountains she would meet someone who knew where Kentucky was located.

Legolas was put off and it showed. Estel stepped forward and offered, "Forgive us, Arial. In all my travels and I have journeyed over the face of Arda through many lands for numerous years, and even I have not had the pleasure of discovering Waverly Kentucky."

Elladan thought she was rude but could not bear the idea of her being not only lost but also alone. "My father is counted among the wise, I am sure he would be able to assist you."

Arial just smirked. That was exactly what she wanted, to go back to Elrond's house and watch how they all acted when they discovered she had just been there and had insulted all of them by calling them crazy. She was tired and could not help but giggle. When she saw their reaction, she realized she had done so aloud. Arial blushed and looked away.

Legolas spoke, "I do not see what is humorous. We are only trying to help you, but if you do not need such assistance, we have been mistaken and intruded upon you. We shall beg your forgiveness and take our leave." He walked away, Rumil and Olwin followed closely behind him.

Estel watched Legolas and his personal escorts leave and sighed. "Arial, please, it is not safe. A dire shadow moves across all lands in these present days. Please, allow us to escort you to safety, for if you remain alone, I fear for you." When he saw that she did not plan to follow him, Estel moved closer to her and whispered, "Evil will surely find you if you do not come with us. Please Arial, trust me. You do not understand the dangers that lurk in all lands. Please Arial; allow me to escort you to the safety of Rivendell."

Arial was frightened. Until this moment, she had willing to brave all of their Arda to return home. She could see that his concern was genuine and he did not have pointy ears. He looked as human as she. Elladan stepped closer to her, causing her to jump slightly.

"It is how I lost my mother, Arial. She traveled with a great escort, heavily armed and well trained. When we found her, it was too late. She has sailed over." Arial thought he meant his mother was dead and felt sorry for him.

"I'm sorry Elladan." She pouted for a few minutes, unsure of what to do.

"It would be best for you Arial, and give us peace of mind if you were to travel with us to my father's house."

Arial looked at Elladan and knew he was probably right. She could apologize for calling his family crazy, and stay there if only for the night.

At the last second she changed her mind. "I appreciate your concern but really there is no need for y'all to worry. I'm a big girl and I'll be alright. As a matter of fact, I'm heading over those mountains and going north." Estel and Elladan went wide-eyed. Legolas had heard her and immediately turned around and ran back.

"Arial!" He called as he ran up in front of her. "I would not suggest that as your destination. You would make a fine appetizer for the spiders of the wood." He stared at her with his jaw line firm.

"Spiders?" She stomped her foot on the ground. "That's what you do to spiders. You step on them." Elladan and Estel stared at her in shock.

Legolas cleared his throat, "You simply do not step on these spiders. They are six feet across and three to four feet high." He put his hand out beside him to indicate their height. "They step on you just before they eat you." He gestured with his other hand at her to emphasize his point.

"If you even make it to the woods after all the orcs you'll surely meet traveling through the mountains," added Elladan, "who when they catch you will probably rape you while they eat you alive."

"That's only if the goblins do not catch her first." Estel frowned at her.

Arial stepped back from them. Giant spiders? What was an orc? Goblins aren't real, but supposedly elves weren't either. "What in the world are you people talking about? Wait!" She held up her hands, "I'm not sure I want to hear it. I'm out of here, and I'll go south."

"And straight to Isengard!" Exclaimed Estel.

"If she makes it past the orcs!"

"And probably a few wargs as well."

Arial snorted. "And just where would it be safe to travel?" The sarcasm dripped from her tongue.

In unison, they all said, "Rivendell."

"Good bye!" She exclaimed as she walked away. "I'm going west, probably orcs there too, but I'm going. See me go. West. I'm going west." They walked up beside her.

"And where will you go, that you head west?" Asked Elladan.

"Look fellas, I'm just trying to get home. I know those maps showed a coast line to the west. It looked kinda familiar and I'm going there."

Rumil, who had remained silent, was tired of this insolent woman who would not listen to reason. He glanced at Olwin, wishing they were free of this entire situation and were already at Rivendell. Olwin, knowing his friend's thoughts, shrugged. They stood by, helpless to do anything to improve the situation.

Arial turned away and began walking west. She hoped the men would leave her alone. She stepped softly, listening to see if any were following her. She kept going, confident in her choice. She would not be satisfied that she had fallen into any sort of place without some sort of definite concrete proof. She knew beyond doubt that Elrond believed what he was telling her, but she needed more than just his words. For all she knew, he had hypnotized her, asked her some questions, and found out a general description of her parents. And that general description along with pointed ears was not enough for Arial. She was stubborn, slow to trust and somewhat quick to anger. She knew these things about herself, and she had no inclination to change those things.

"Then we shall travel with you as far as Rivendell. Perhaps Master Elrond will allow someone to escort you as far as Bree," Legolas said after they had caught up with her, thankful to have won this much with the stubborn woman.

"I wasn't planning on stopping over in Rivendell. Just planning on scootin' right 'round. Got lots of ground to cover." She replied. Estel rolled his eyes.

Elladan worked out a plan in his head. "I am getting hungry, Estel. What do you suppose Ada will have for dinner tonight?"

Estel knew instantly Elladan's plan. "This journey has been long Elladan. I hope he has the roasted duck I requested before we left home."

Legolas joined in, "In orange sauce, with fresh yeast rolls…"

"And mashed potatoes with heaping fresh butter…"

"And corn on the cob!" Exclaimed Estel.

"Do not forget the dressing," added Elladan.

Arial's stomach growled so loud she was sure everyone else heard her. She tried thinking of something other than food and began singing a song. It was one of her favorites, "Into the Mystic", by Van Morrison. She was not shy and sang loudly to cover their voices. Her voice was strong and carried true. She completely immersed herself in the lyrics, feeling the soul of the words and notes. Arial did not notice that everyone hushed and listened to her sing. She had no way of knowing the elves love of the sea, and captured their undivided attention. As Arial sang, she became one with the song, letting her body move to the rhythm.

_We were born before the wind_

_Also younger than the sun_

_And we bond both as one_

_As we sail into the mystic_

_Hark now hear the sailor's cry_

_Smell the sea and feel the sky_

_Let your soul and spirit fly_

_Into the mystic_

_When that fog horn blows_

_I will be coming home_

_When the fog horn blows_

_I want to hear it_

_I don't have to fear it_

_And I want to rock your gypsy soul_

_Just like way back in the days of old_

_Magnificently we will flow into the mystic_

_When that fog horn blows_

_You know I will be coming home_

_When that fog horn whistle blows_

_I gotta hear it; I don't have to fear it_

_And I want rock your gypsy soul_

_Just like way back in the days of old_

_And together we will float _

_Into the mystic_

_Too late to stop now_

She breathed a cleansing breath. She felt renewed. She had never understood why she loved the song; she only knew that she did. It somehow called to her, a longing she could not identify. She felt tears well up in her eyes and she blinked them away. Arial noticed the silence around her. She did not mind, it was what she wanted. She kept walking forward, determination in every step. It was Legolas who broke the silence.

"Arial, have you sailed on the sea before?"

"Huh?" She realized what he had asked of her, "Uh, no."

"But you sing as one who loves it, and of one you love."

"Oh, the song. No, I've never sailed anything. It's just a song where I'm from. I just happen to like it. A lot."

Elladan joined, "You sing well. There is a passion in your voice that captivates."

Arial had never been complimented on her singing and she felt uncomfortable, yet grateful that they did not think she was horrid at it. "Thank you. You were my first audience."

"Truly?" A shocked Legolas asked.

"Yep. Never bothered to sing in front of anybody before." Arial blushed.

"Why not?" Asked Estel.

"Too shy."

"Why were you brave now?" Asked Legolas.

"Just felt like it, you know. This place," she gestured around her, "does something to me. Relaxes me for the most part. Makes me feel ok with me." She slapped her hand over her mouth. She did not want to say the last part aloud. Arial did not want anyone thinking or believing there was something wrong with her.

"Thank you, Arial. My home has that effect on people," Elladan said with a matter of fact tone of voice.

"You're welcome."

They walked further for a few minutes before Estel if she would sing another song for them.

"I'd rather not, but thank you for asking. Instead, I need to get directions from you. That windy part is up ahead and I don't feel like going down into the Rivendell place. Do I just go on this road?"

Estel sighed, realizing she was indeed stubborn. "Yes, Arial. Stay on this road. It will lead you all the way to the village of Bree. But I would not advise you continuing alone. There is great danger for you to do so."

Arial spun on her heel, irritated again, "I am free and over the age of twenty-one, and I don't need anybody's permission to do a daggone thing. Thank you." She stomped away, leaving them to continue on to Rivendell without her.

Estel, Legolas, Elladan and the guards watched Arial leave. They felt sorrow at her parting. "I can not believe she will not come with us, Estel," said Elladan.

"Nor I," replied Estel.

"Were it not for the grievous news I must bear to this council, I would go with her, whether she wished it or not." Legolas turned away from her and continued down into the dell. He hoped that no evil befell her, but he was bound by his duty to appear at Rivendell.

"I also would see her to Bree were I not bound to this council."

"As would we all," said Elladan.

**oOo**

Arial guessed it was in the middle of the night as the moon was directly overhead. She was tired and could barely hold her eyes open. She found a few boulders with a little nook that she could squeeze into and curled up. "At least I'm not in the open," she thought as she fell asleep.

When she awoke, the sun had just crested the horizon. She crawled out and looked around her. She had stayed close to the road and decided to resume her journey. Her stomach growled and she was thirsty. She was beginning to regret that she had not stayed overnight in Rivendell. She had no choice but to walk, she could not go back now. She rubbed her belly, wishing she had something to eat. She had never really thought about how important food could be until now when she had none. Before it was a simple walk into the kitchen, and when those supplies were low, a trip to the supermarket. She scanned the horizon, hoping for signs of civilization and saw none.

"Where's a gas station when you need one?" She asked herself aloud. "Man, what I would give for a soda and a pie, or a sausage biscuit, or even a greasy tater chip." She sighed and trudged on.

"Jeez! How far back in the boon docks am I?" She exclaimed. "And where's the friggin' black top? Dirt roads everywhere…now just plain ol' muddy roads. Mud here, mud over there, mud! Mud! Mud!" She couldn't stand it any longer and went over to the bank of the Bruinen. She knelt down and drank her fill. She never imagined she could be so thirsty. She looked at herself and hopped in. She felt like a kid. She swam around for a few minutes before settling on a rock under the water. She rubbed the mud and dirt off of her clothes, her body and out of her hair. She used her finger for a toothbrush. Suddenly she felt the urge. She had to relieve herself. She got up out of the water, climbed up the bank and looked for a bush to squat behind. She was in the middle of taking care of her business when she felt the ground vibrate. Arial turned three shades paler, jerked her jeans up and started looking around. At first she could see nothing. Then movement caught her eye. A black mass was moving toward her fast.

"What in the world?" She blocked the sun with her hand, watching it get closer. She could hear grunting and growling. "Wha tha hell?"

"Holy Shit!" She squealed. There were big muscular black demons across the river running straight for her, waving swords above their heads. Arial almost fainted. She felt her knees start to give away and she hit herself repeatedly on her hips with her fists which jarred her enough to keep her conscious. She spun around and ran, screaming at the top of her lungs. Arial ran faster than she ever thought she could run. She paid no attention to where she was running; only that she was getting away.

"There really is a heaven and a hell. And the demons have done come after me. Oh God, I'm so sorry I never really believed. Save me!" She screeched in her mind. She could still hear the demons behind screaming at her. Her body produced more adrenaline and she ran faster, almost becoming a blur with the countryside. She ran until she reached the fork leading to Rivendell where she skidded around the curve. She slipped and slid all the way down but at last she burst through the front door, screaming aloud, "Demons! Demons! Save me! Save yourselves! Get your guns! Give me one! Demons!"

Elves rushed to the foyer and stared at her wide-eyed and open mouthed. She was hysterical and kept screaming, "God help us all!" She pointed behind her, "Demons! Demons! They're right behind me! Demons!" She drew a quick breath and screamed "Ai!" Arial then ran through the elves that had gathered around her and down the hall leading to the kitchens of Imladris.

She burst through the swinging door and slid across the floor. There was a bar beside her and she reached out and grabbed the muffins on the counter. She stuffed them as fast as she could into her mouth. She stuffed more into her shirt giving her front torso a bumpy misshapen appearance. She grabbed a pitcher of juice and chugged it down, the excess running in rivers down her cheeks. She saw the shocked look of the elves and started babbling as she ate more muffins causing pieces of the food to fly from her mouth. "Demons are a coming here, I saw em' myself. God help us…run!" Arial flew from the kitchen and outside into the gardens. She slipped on the wet cobblestones and her feet went up into the air as her head came down and banged the walkway. Her last thought was that she would not die hungry.

**oOo**

_**Author's note: **__That's it for chapter three, another on the way soon. R&R please!_

Nat Sherman is a registered trademark SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.

The author Bethuviel does not promote smoking.

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.


	4. Chapter 4

**Arial**

**Not Delusional**

**Chapter Four**

_**By Bethuviel**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

_I must apologize. The 'demons' were not descriptive enough to allow everyone to know that Arial had actually saw orcs. The orcs were on the side of the Bruinen away from Imladris, and had not yet attempted to cross the river. But Arial does not know that the power of the elves protects Rivendell and evil cannot cross the Bruinen. So in a panic she runs. Also, I feel I must clarify that Arial is absolutely clueless to LOTR, its world and characters. As much as possible, I am trying to not "shred canon." Again, I am writing this for the fun of it._

**oOo**

Arial woke up, a migraine tearing through her skull like a freight train. She felt confused, not sure what had happened to her. She squeezed her eyes tighter, hoping that this headache would not rob her of another day. She had suffered migraines her entire life and was tired of feeling like a prisoner to them. Foggy memories floated through her mind and she remembered the dream she had been having. She rolled over and reached her hand to the nightstand, searching for her cigarettes. She patted the stand and found nothing. "Great," she moaned and slowly opened her eyes. She sat straight up in the bed, shock chasing away the migraine. She looked across the room, scared. She was not in her bedroom. She examined her surrounding and noticed that the design looked a lot like that place she had that weird dream about, Rivendell. Arial slid a foot out from underneath the blankets and touched the floor. She was awake and this was indeed reality. Arial sighed. She held her head, disgusted, as she remembered the entirety of previous events leading her back to the one place she did not want to remain.

"I've got to get out of here, and stay out of here…" she whispered to herself. "I just have to go better prepared." She tapped a forefinger on her chin and thought about the supplies she would need for her trip. "I don't want to have to talk to any of these nut crackers, so I have to be secret." She stood up and walked around the room. It did not seem like she was being held captive, which would make for an easier get away. She stopped in front of an open balcony and looked out over the garden. "Not a soul down there." She remembered the garden being accessible from the kitchen. "Lots of food in there." She felt a little dizzy and grabbed the door facing for support.

"Must have whacked my head harder than I thought. But I ain't stayin' here," she continued her conversation with herself in whispers. "But I ain't no thief either, maybe I could leave them a note that I only need to borrow some stuff and will pay it back as soon as I can. But I would still be a thief. Takin' stuff without permission is stealing no matter how you rationalize it." She slumped her shoulders. Arial would have to meet with the Master of Elves and beg his forgiveness and for his pantry.

Feeling somewhat better, she tip-toed over to the bed and sat down again. She looked at herself. She apparently had been bathed by someone and was wearing a simple white sleeping gown. Arial felt uncomfortable. It was like she had been violated again. She wanted to know who had touched her; who had seen her naked? She suddenly felt small and vulnerable.

Arial quickly stood up, lost her balance and fell back onto the bed. "I can not stay here with these fruitcakes; I've got to get out of here!" She exclaimed to herself. Using all of her will, she stood again. She waited a few moments before attempting to move. When she felt confident she strode to the door she hoped let her out of the room. She tried twisting the knob, and felt relief that the door opened. She was not a prisoner. She peeked out into the hallway.

Arial surmised that since the gardens were behind her, the kitchen must be below her, and therefore if she went right, she would eventually find the stairs leading down into the front of the house. She took one last deep breath and stepped out into the hallway. She closed the bedroom door behind her and walked the length of the hallway to as she had hoped the top of a flight of stairs. She steadied herself by holding onto the railing as she descended. Once at the bottom, Arial had to stop and study the outlay. She had no idea where to go to meet with anyone.

A proverbial light bulb went off in her head and Arial snapped her fingers. She decided to draw attention to herself by making noise. Surely someone would come.

But what noise? Without caution or thought, Arial sang loudly a song she remembered from elementary school, "Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah". She had to concentrate to keep from bursting into laughter as she yelled out the tune with all of the force of her lungs. She was into the second verse when an elf came running into the foyer with a very sharp and deadly looking sword.

"Oh thank god," she sighed. Her throat had begun to get raspy from her efforts. "Hi, I'm Arial. Could you tell Elrond I would like to speak to him alone?"

The elf lowered his sword, recognizing the girl from the previous day. "Only if you promise to not sing again."

Arial held up her hands in front of her and replied, "I promise."

Satisfied, the golden haired elf turned and walked away. A few moments later, Elrond walked to stand directly in front of her.

"You should not be out of bed, Arial."

Arial hearing the tone of his voice had suddenly become shy. The tone of his voice reminded her of her father. "I'm sorry, Elrond. For everything. But I can not stay here and I hope you'll understand that I'd really just like to leave."

"Leave? Where will you go? And how will you get there? Alive?" He asked. Elrond did not understand this human girl.

"I want to leave. I saw on your maps a place I'd like to go to. But here's the catch. I need help getting there."

"What kind of assistance?"

"Well, I'd like to borrow some food, a weapon to defend myself if need be, cab fare and your address so I can send back what I'll owe you." Another light bulb went off in her head and Arial felt stupid. "Hey, can I borrow your phone? I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I can just call somebody; they'll come and get me. So much easier!" She smacked her head and said "Duh!"

Elrond scrunched his nose and said, "What is a phone? I do not believe I own one of those."

"What do you mean 'what is a phone'? Where you been at, man?"

"I am no man, and of late, I have been mostly here, in my home."

She thought to herself "You're just too wierd for me." Then she said aloud, "Oh. Well could I borrow the other stuff, minus the cab fare since I can't call anyone anyway?" She asked, the words flowing like a torrent of storm water down a street drain.

"And I suppose you will be needing a horse?" He asked like he knew what inevitably would be asked later.

"Uh, sure, that is if you don't mind. Ridin's better 'n walking any time I say. And could I have my clothes back?" She had visions of Annie Oakly running through her head as she pictured herself riding atop a horse.

"Your clothes are in the hutch in your room upstairs. Arial, you and I really need to talk. After you have refreshed yourself, let us meet in my study and speak in private. I'll send a maid to help you back to your room where I will also send a tray of breakfast."

Arial knew that the conversation was at an end. He had just spoke to her like her own father did when he had had enough and wanted to put a stop to things. She nodded her head. She had no choice but to accept his current terms, she was on his charity and she hated it.

A few minutes later a female elf appeared to lead Arial away. She wondered how Elrond had done that but supposed he had prearranged for the maid to show up when she had. That meant that Elrond had been in control of the situation before he had ever spoken to her. Arial sighed.

Once she was back in her room, Arial dressed herself and discovered by accident where the bathroom was located. She thought it was pretty rustic compared to what she was used to using, but was glad to have one that worked anyway. She found an unused toothbrush had been set out for her next to a small bowl of a mixture of paste and mint. "I guess that's a hint," she thought. She dabbed the brush, put it into her mouth and performed the ritual the same as she had everyday for all of her life.

When she was done in the bathroom she stepped out and back into her bedroom. A tray of food was set beside the bed. She sat down and ate. She had no suspicions and felt no paranoia about eating the food or drinking the orange juice. When her stomach was full, she heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," she called.

Elrond stepped inside, followed by the same maid who had led Arial before. He pointed at a place across the room and the maid walked to the spot and stood there, watching.

"What's she? A chaperone?" Arial asked.

"Yes. It is not appropriate for you and me to be in a room, alone." Elrond answered her as if the answer should have been obvious. "You and I need to talk Arial. There are some things we need to discuss."

"All I need is your help leaving."

"Do not worry; I will lend you the assistance you need to leave. But have you no concerns about your own safety? Have you forgotten the 'demons' as you declared after you burst into my home, ate all my muffins and drank my juice?"

"The demons were real? I wasn't having delusions?" She ignore the comment about the food.

"They were very real, Arial. And they are not demons, but orcs. And they are numerous across the lands. I am sure that if you keep to your current decision to leave the safety of Rivendell, you will meet them again."

Arial sat and stared at the wall across from her. "Not a delusion, but real," she thought. "I don't care. Can't stay here. I gotta get home. I gotta go to work tomorrow and that bitch of a boss'll be mad if I don't show up. Probably fire me."

She sat straighter and said, "Even if it means that I have to go through an army of them orcs, I'm going home. Nothing will stop me. I want to go home and will do what ever it takes to get there." She pursed her lips and set her jaw firm.

Elrond noted her stance and knew she was serious. He thought her words were brave, but her past actions did not indicate bravery in the face of terror. "Arial, I know you want to go home, but how will you get there? No, no," he said, cutting her off, "How will you get to what does not exist here?"

Arial felt her dander rise as heat emanated from her face. "I do not believe what you said about another dimensions and all that. And the truth is I can't explain you elves, or those orc things, but my home is out there and I'm going to find it. Then I'm going to tell my dad about those orcs and he'll take care of 'em. Now if you were serious 'bout helping me, I'd like to get gone before the afternoon comes."

Elrond sighed. He knew humans could be stubborn, especially the younger ones. There was no reasoning with the girl. He would let her go and find her destiny, if indeed she had one at all. The mid-morning was approaching and he had to attend his council. "Very well, Arial. You shall be lent such provisions as you will need, including a horse. And when you have met the end of your journey and you have the means, then you may return my horse as it will be the only debt you will owe me and my household." Elrond stood and looked upon her again. "You face a long road Arial. Many surprises, some hardships, but worry not. You will find a home." He quickly left with the maid following closely behind him.

"You mean my home," Arial said to the air she breathed. She flopped back onto the bed, wriggled around for a few seconds then got up to go to the bathroom again. She was nervous and her bladder kept twinging.

**oOo**

_**Author's Note: **That's all for this one. Another chapter on the way soon! Thank you for the reviews so far, and please feel free to let me know what you think, or even suggestions you may have. Please remember though, this is not a 10th walker, or a pairing with one of the LOTR characters. Thanks again._


	5. Chapter 5

**Arial**

**Banned**

**Chapter Five**

_**by Bethuviel**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Arial stood in the stables looking at the quarter horse Elrond had lent her for her adventure. She had no idea that the animal was a quarter horse, or that Elrond felt that should she should be able to outrun any imposing danger within that distance. To her, a horse was a horse was a horse. She ran her hand down the animal's neck, feeling the silky short hair.

"Arial, are you paying attention?"

Arial snapped out of her reverie and looked at her benefactor. "So you understand that one small bite of this bread is enough to maintain your strength for an entire day?"

"Uh, yes. What did you call it again?"

Elrond mentally sighed. He knew she had not listened. "Lembas. It is a journey bread of the Elves." He hoped she did somehow find a way back to her own world so he could be rid of her. "Arial, the horse can only carry so much so it is the most credible choice. I have also given you water rations," he patted the canteens strapped onto the horses sides. "Here is your bedroll, extra clothing suitable for traveling and after your manner of dress. Here in this tote are a few items I am sure you as a female will enjoy. And for your horse, a bag of oats. You must feed him these every night to maintain his health. During the day, he may graze when you stop for rest. Do not forget to water the horse, Arial." Elrond saw that she had that glazed look in her eyes again and asked sternly, "How often do you stop to rest?"

"Huh? Oh, rest, every four hours. And I have to brush the horse down every night, and feed him the oats and water him frequently throughout the day at the rest periods." Arial was impatient to be on her way. "You've told me this like, a thousand times, Elrond. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, I am, really! But I just want to get on with it."

Elrond recognized this behavior from his experiences with Estel as he was growing into manhood. He chuckled to himself, noting the similarities, yet the broad differences between the two humans. "As you will, Arial. But one more thing. What weapon would you prefer? You asked to borrow one to defend yourself."

Without hesitation Arial replied, "Considering those orc things out there, an AK-47 would be just dandy. A few extra clips and lots of ammo. Preferably hollow points." She ended with a quick curt nod of her head.

Elrond was stunned. He was sure she was speaking of some type of weapon she was familiar with, but he had no idea what she was talking about, or even how to have one made. He wondered if she knew how to make one, for surely a weapon from her world would serve Middle Earth well in the coming battle with Sauron. "Arial, I am not sure of what you speak, but if you could delay your departure slightly, I am sure the elven smiths could fashion an AK-47 for you." His tongue had slight difficulty forming the strange words but he hoped she would take the bait.

Now Arial was taken back. She should have known. They didn't know what a telephone or a cab were, why should she think they would have a clue about a gun? She paused and thought over her situation for a moment. Did she know enough about weaponry to draw out the design for one and it actually work? Then she did an abrupt halt in her thoughts.

"Wait a minute," she thought. "Let's suppose I am for just a second in some other dimension…they don't have any of the modern conveniences I'm used to. What if I showed them this and somehow screwed up this world from where it's supposed to be or it's future….Not that I actually believe any of that dimensional crap, but still. If they don't have it, why should I introduce it to them? But then again, I could really use a gun…"

"Elrond," she started, "I am not sure what to do. I don't really believe I'm in another dimension, but just for the sake of it all, let's assume I am…k…you follow? Well, if you haven't discovered it already, and I'm not supposed to be here, then why should I do something that might alter the future of this world away from where it's supposed to go?" She thought she had him.

Elrond was older and wiser. "But if you are not supposed to be here, then why are you here? Perhaps, for reasons unknown to us, the Valar have decided to bring you here to ensure Middle Earth's peoples victory over Sauron and his evil armies." He kept his breathing even and waited for her response. He did not have long to wait.

"But if it were the will of the Valar, why haven't they showed up and said, 'Hey we want her here and here's what she supposed to do.' I don't think them Valar even know I'm here, or if they do, they either don't care or are clueless what to do about it. Including sending me back home. That's what I think. So no, I ain't giving you any designs for any guns. I got a bad feeling about doing that, and my conscious is the size of Texas and would never let me have any peace if'n I did."

"Far is it from me to indebt you to your conscious, young Arial." Elrond said with a flourish of his hand.

"It's okay, I forgive you," she whimpered.

Elrond had to choke back a laugh. "Never-the-less, these are dangerous times and one cannot simply go riding about the countryside without means of protection. Are you skilled in any other weaponry? Swords? Knives? Bows?"

Arial shook her head no. "I throw a mean punch."

Elrond grew frustrated with the girl. "Arial, I cannot allow you to leave Rivendell without knowing how to protect yourself. I have a conscious as well."

Hearing this, Arial made to jump onto the horse's back and was knocked down easily by Elrond. "You cannot keep me here!" She shouted. "That's kidnapping and against the law. I want to leave and you promised to help me!"

Elrond snapped his fingers and within seconds stable hands surrounded Arial. They removed the horse and held her arms firmly.

Elrond leaned closer to her, so close that Arial could feel his hot breath upon her face as he spoke, "In this land, my word and will are law. I am lord here, and you had best remember that. And it is my will that you will stay here, under the protection of Rivendell until you are fit to capably defend yourself."

"I am not a prisoner!" She screamed at him, spittle flying from her mouth and onto his ageless face. "Let me go!" She demanded. She struggled desperately to free herself from the elves holding her. When she saw that she could not break free of their grasp, she began kicking at them. They deftly sidestepped her attempts to assault them.

Elrond raised a calm hand and wiped away the disgusting matter from his face. "Your words are empty and your bark is worse than your bite, Arial! You would not survive a day outside of my home, as evidenced by your ungainly reappearance two days ago when you burst inside my foyer screaming demons to the absolute horror of my ears. You will stay just long enough to satisfy me that you can aptly handle a weapon. This is the end of our conversation." He turned from her and spoke in his native tongue to the elves holding her. Arial could not understand what was being said but she knew it was about her.

"Speak in a language everybody can understand, you coward!"

Elrond spun his head to her and Arial saw anger flash across his face. She grew very afraid and feared for her life. She fought against her captors with all of her fury, nearly freeing herself.

"How dare you?" Elrond seethed inside. He had never been accused of that slander. He had again and again proved throughout Arda and the ages his valor. He raised his hand to strike her, caught himself, and pointed towards the front gates. "Remove her from these lands immediately. Be it known henceforth that the human known as Arial Middleton is banned from Imladris and all it's boundaries. Do not spare her mercy, or charity. It is forbidden." Elrond stepped around her and returned to his home. He spared her not a glance, and pushed all memory of her from his mind.

The two elves still holding Arial's arms dragged her unceremoniously from the stables, out of the gates, and up the wooded path. Once they had reached the Bruinen, they paused, bent over and grabbed her legs. They swung her body through the air and pitched her into the river.

She screamed as she sailed and coughed out the water when she broke the surface. "Fluck you!" She screamed at them water still pouring out of her mouth making the profanity mispronounced. They stared at her with stoned expressions.

One stepped forward and spoke, "You must leave before our Lord commands the river to drown you." The other elf had a look of irritation on his face and spoke in the same language that Elrond had used in the stable.

Arial went slack jawed. She slowly turned away and climbed out of the Bruinen on the opposite bank. She turned back around and flipped the still watching elves her middle fingers on both hands. "Screw you." She turned and stomped away.

She murmured under her breath as she went on her way, "Oh you just wait buddy. You just wait. I'll be back, with my dad and the law. We'll see who's who. Won't be so smug then, Mister High and Mighty. Pointy eared freaks. Go to hell. All of you."

**oOo**

_**Author's note: **__What will she do now? The elves hate and have banned her…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Arial**

**Roughin' It**

**Chapter Six**

_**by Bethuviel**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

"Well, I'm back where I was, lost, alone, and hungry," said Arial aloud to herself. She needed to hear a voice, even if it was her own. She thought back and remembered from the maps of Elrond's that if she continued in a southwest direction, she would find the 'East-West Road'. She thought that the name was not very original and wondered what captain obvious had thought it and then had the audacity to pen it. She sighed. This place was strange. Elves and Orcs. Arial hoped she did not run into any more of either race.

She spied the tops of trees in the distance and hoped she would be able to find someone there to help or guide her along her way. She kept her pace steady and sang softly to herself to keep her spirits up. She did not want to get depressed about her almost desperate situation.

"At least I got my own clothes and shoes back." She almost skipped when she realized that fact. She crossed over the Ford and turned onto the road she had been anticipating. She wondered why the forest was called Trollshaws. Suddenly she stopped and looked at the forest again. Trollshaws. Trolls.

"Surely not." She said to herself. "Can't be. No way on god's green earth. But then again, there are elves and orcs…" Arial shook her head. "What have I gotten myself into?" She frowned, unsure of what to think of her newfound problem. She looked up at the sky and guestimated the time of day. She closed her eyes and pulled the map from her memory and focused. If she remembered correctly, it was about fifty miles she had to look forward to in this little part of the vacation avoiding the trolls. "I know nothing about trolls. Not really. They eat people in fairy tales. Elves were in the fairy tales, but they were really tiny and somehow baked really great tasting cookies in TV. commercials. Except I've come to a real life fairy tale that's more like Grimm. So, with my luck, they really do eat people. Have to get off this road and away from that forest." She reasoned quietly to herself. She spun around and eyed her surroundings. To the left of the forest and off the road was a field with tall grass.

"That might offer some cover, as long as I'm careful. And I can easily keep track of the road and my bearings." She carefully stepped off the road, eyeing the forest. She wondered if she was being watched. She didn't want to leave tracks but found that the mud created by the previous day's rain showers made that nearly impossible. Arial had to be satisfied with her effort and hope for the best.

She moved with stealth through the high grass, watching for any sign of trolls. Arial had no idea what a troll looked like but she figured that when she saw one, she would know it. She was hungry and thirsty. Every so often she would feel a squish when she stepped. She had avoided looking away from the forest but could not stand to feel that one more time. She squatted and examined the ground.

"Strawberries!" She whispered as loud as she dared with excitement. She began picking and eating them, giving them a cursory wipe off before popping one in her mouth. She held out the bottom of her shirt and placed them inside the hollow. She scurried over the field picking as many as her shirt would hold. When she was satisfied she sat down and ate them, relishing their sweet flavor. She kept her eyes on the forest.

Arial noted that the activities of the forest animals were normal and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening. "Surely trolls are hideous. Just as hideous here as in the fairy tales back home. And something like a troll lurking around would make the animals run away or hide. But they're not. Just business as usual. Maybe trolls don't come out til after dark." Arial thought aloud as she fingered another strawberry. She ate until her shirt was empty.

The sun was nearing its zenith and Arial thought about her food. She looked at the grass around her. She ripped some up and tied individual bundles at their ends, forming long strands of raw material. After she had a pile of the bundles, Arial weaved them together creating a crude basket. She got up and walked through the field, bending and picking berries to put into her basket to eat later. Her throat burned with thirst and she needed a drink of water. The Bruinen was far behind her, and she didn't know where she would find a source of water.

She eyed the forest. The animals would know where to find water. She bit her lip and argued with herself. "Just name association. No such thing as trolls," argued personality A.

Personality B argued back, "But there are no such things as elves either, and oh, let's not forget the lovely and heartwarming orcs…"

A said, "Shut up! I'm thirsty and there's water in that forest…we will die of thirst out here in this blazin' sun."

B shouted, "Don't tell me to shut up! We can survive for a few days at least without water. That forest ain't called Trollshaws for no reason you dimwit!"

"Stop being a friggin' wuss. Worry when there's something to worry about. Right now we got to have some water. We could sneak into the forest, and our way around."

"Yeah, we could sneak," replied personality B, "and crawl our way right inside of a troll's mouth and get eaten."

"You don't even know what a troll looks like, so stop being such an expert," retorted A.

"You don't either…but go right on, yeah go right on, you never listen to anybody anyway and when you get ate by a big ol' nasty troll, don't come crying to me!" Personality B fell silent and personality A sighed.

Arial started toward the forest, hoping she was not being watched. When she was on the edge of the field she squatted and watched. Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She could not see or smell anything unusual. She took a deep breath, stood up and darted to the forest's edge. She hid behind a tree and looked around. She did not know what she had been expecting, but for all that she could see it was an ordinary forest. No beasts waiting to pounce on her from hidden shadows. Arial bent and picked up a large stick from the ground. She tiptoed through the trees, listening for anything strange. She crept around, looking for signs on the floor of the forest of animal paths. At last she found one and followed it deeper into the forest.

The sunlight peeped through the tree tops and lit the forest well. Undergrowth was sparse and Arial was grateful she did not have to plow her way through thorn bushes galore. She stopped when she found a berry bush. She examined the bush and saw the tips of the branches. Small animals had ate the berries, and often. She went with her gut and picked the bush, putting the berries into her basket. She moved on, listening as she walked. At last her heart slowed to a normal rhythm and Arial laughed at herself. She stopped walking on her toes and walked like a normal person.

"I'm tired of being afraid." Arial thought.

She walked for a few minutes more and heard trickling. She held her breath, listening. It was the sound water made when moving slowly over rocks. A smile lit her face and she hurried towards the place from where the noise came. Arial could almost taste the water.

Suddenly, Arial stopped. She wet a finger in her mouth and held it up into the air. She was down wind from the water. She thought about that for a moment, not sure if that was good or bad. She was downwind from whatever was already there, but upwind from everything that followed that path to the creek. She hurried to the water.

Once there, she hid behind another tree and watched for a few minutes. She could not see anyone or anything for great distances in either direction. She reverted to tiptoes and crept to the edge of the little creek. She watched the sun dance on the little ripples of the water, amazed by the simple beauty of the light.

Arial bent down and cupped her hands together, catching as much water as she could. Returning her hands often, she drank her fill. She sat down on the bank, bloated.

Arial looked around, searching for anything that would hold water that she could use for a canteen.

"I am just S.O.L." She stated to the forest. "Always got to be the hard way. Nothing's ever easy, no, not for me. Always the hard way. Well this just sucks." She stood up and pretended to search around again, while walking westward. The little creek flowed beside her, every once in a while disappearing underground only to reappear a few feet away. The sun started its downward journey and Arial knew she had to find shelter. She spied the tree tops and decided that that would probably be the safest place for her. She found a sturdy tree and jumped up to catch the lowest branch. Using her arms to pull, and her legs to push on the trunk of the tree, Arial inched her way up and finally rested on the branch. When she caught her breath, she stood and climbed up to the last of the strong branches, about twenty five feet off of the ground.

"How am I going to sleep up here? I'll fall out and break my fool neck!" Arial tried to wedge herself around and could not. Another Arial light bulb came on in her head and she frantically started removing her belt. Carefully she twisted around and holding onto the buckle, she whipped the other end around the trunk of the tree. She repeated the action a few times before realizing that the belt was too small. She slumped against the tree, tired. She rested there a few moments before jerking herself up afraid she would fall asleep. She looked at the branch under her. She twisted back around and scooted her back until she rested against the tree. Arial ran one end of the belt under the branch she sat on and back up over her legs. She latched the belt as tight as she dared. Arial knew that if she became unbalanced, that belt was the only thing holding her up. She shook her head; she knew that it was not going to work.

Disgusted, she bumped her head against the trunk of the tree. "Socks!" Arial undid her shoes and removed both of the socks. They were the calf socks. She hated the short ones; her ankles always got cold and made her irritable. After she put her shoes back on, she tied the socks together and tested the knot. She unbuckled the belt and tied a sock to tip of the belt. After trying different knots, Arial finally found one that would hold. She turned again and whipped the socks around the tree and caught them. She tied the socks to the buckle, twisted around and slid under the makeshift belt. She positioned herself until she was comfortable, sure she would not fall to her death, and then fell asleep under the blanket of darkness that enveloped her. She was exhausted and soon snored.

She did not know that the sound of her snores attracted her worst nightmare, orcs.

**oOo**

_**Author's note: See that purple button….please review. Thanks!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Arial**

**A Living Nightmare**

**Chapter Seven**

**by Bethuviel**

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Arial slept in the tree, snoring loudly. Her dreams were filled with images of home. She did not hear the orc scouts surrounding the base of the tree. They whispered in their own guttural language, discussing the best way to capture their newest victim.

Arial slumped even further, straining the belt and socks. Her head and chest gently rolled up and down matching her breathing. Her eyes darted under her lids, her mind existing in its own world.

A sudden jarring woke her with a start. "Wha?" She gasped. She rubbed her eyes and looked down. She could hear strange voices and could see dark forms moving about on the forest floor. She clamped her mouth shut, wiggled around and grabbed onto the trunk. She heard a thunk and felt the entire tree shudder, almost jarring her loose.

"Oh my god," she thought. "It's those cursed orcs again. They found me. Gawl almighty, what'm I going to do?" She looked at the closest tree to her and wondered if she could somehow get over to it and away.

She moved around on the branch and tried to stand up. The orcs saw her moving and chopped into the tree again with an axe blade. The reverberation traveled up to Arial and she lost her balance. She slipped from the branch and hung in the air, clinging to the belt with her hands. She could hear what sounded like rough laughter below her. She twisted in the air, her feet flailing about trying to stand on something solid. "God help me!" she screamed.

Below, the orcs paused and looked up into the sky, waiting to see if anything would appear. After a few minutes they shrugged their shoulders and resumed chopping the tree trunk base. Arial swung herself around to a branch and managed to get a purchase with her feet. The orcs chopped at the tree again and she lost her foothold. She cursed loudly as the tree tipped and fell to the ground, crashing into other trees on its way down. She fell and rolled away.

The orcs saw her fall and rushed to surround her. They shouted, their glee lost in the dark speech of their native land. Arial screamed as their hard and calloused hands grabbed and groped her. She fought back, throwing fruitless punches and wild kicks. She was slapped down and dragged by the hair of her head over the forest ground. She held onto her hair, trying to stop the pain and wrench herself free. Suddenly she was thrown forward and she landed on her face. She pushed herself up and looked at the face of a very tall and ugly orc.

Her heart raced and pumped so hard her chest hurt. She panted wild with fear and tears ran down her face and streaked her cheeks. "What do you want?"

The orc smiled and replied, "You. Tie her up." She was grabbed again and dragged in between two trees. She twisted and fought to no avail. A rope was produced and her hands were pulled away from her sides and her wrists were stretched out from her body. Her legs were pulled apart and held firm. Arial watched helplessly as she was tied spread eagle. She wiggled but the rope only grew tighter around her wrists and ankles.

"Let me go, you bastards!" She screamed out at them. She was rewarded with a stinging slap to her face. A few minutes later the large orc stood in front of her again.

"What a pretty little bird, so far away from home, eh? Tell me," he walked up to her and stood within inches of her face, "what are you doing out here, all by yourself, sleeping in trees?" The orc watched her facial expressions.

Arial felt like she might gag. The stench was overpowering and smelled like three hundred years of rotting blood and corpses. Arial swallowed and replied, "Sleeping in a tree, till you came along and chopped it down."

The orc laughed at her, "Well, you won't be so curt in your answers in a moment. Tell me, what do you know about Rivendell. You've been there; I can smell those elves on you."

Arial hid her surprise. So that was what they wanted, information about the elves. "Nothing really. They're a bunch of stingy snobs."

The orc stepped back and eyed her, not sure of what to make of her answer. He growled out something in his language that Arial did not understand. A few seconds later another orc appeared at his side with a whip. Arial gasped, knowing the instrument was going to be used on her.

"One last chance, what's going on in Rivendell that all these different races have met there?"

Arial wracked her brain. She could not remember overhearing anything or seeing anyone other than the elves and that one human. She stuttered, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was only there a day and they threw me out."

The orc stepped in back of her and growled his dissatisfaction. "You don't lie very well, little bird." He pulled his arm back and with a flick of his trained wrist let the tip of the whip cut through the air and into Arial's back.

She screamed in horror and agony. The tip of the whip had sliced across her ribs and over her spine. Her legs went rigid and she pulled against the rope holding her in place. She screamed again as the pain shot through her body exploding in her brain. "Please, please, I don't know anything. Please, not again."

The orc laughed at her pleas and hit her again. She pulled against the ropes, screaming in pain. The orc watched her dance around, trying to flee from the pain of his manipulations. He smirked. She wasn't so sassy now, this human woman.

He walked around in front of her, grabbed her face and pulled up her chin looking squarely in her eyes. "What of Rivendell."

Arial did not know anything so she decided to make up a lie she hoped would appease the beast. "An army. A big one." She closed her eyes and slumped down, her full weight pulled painfully on her wrists. The orc slapped her face again.

"An army? What about it?" He questioned her. When she did not answer he sidestepped her, grabbed her hand and held it. He used his other hand to hold out her pinky finger. He put it into his mouth and bit the tip off to her first knuckle. Arial woke up screaming. She twisted her head and saw blood pumping out of her little finger on her right hand. She screamed again when she saw the orc holding the tip of her finger in his teeth, grinning at her. She tried to pull away and caused more blood to pump out of her hand. She kept screaming wildly as she watched the orc chew up her fingertip. Then to her horror, he put his mouth onto her wounded finger and sucked the blood out of her, swallowing greedily.

She jumped wildly, pulling at the ropes trying to free herself. The orc broke away from her hand and jumped in front of her face. She could see her own blood smeared around his mouth. "You taste sweet…" She tried to back away and only managed an inch or two. In absolute shock, she stopped screaming and stared at her living nightmare.

"Now tell me about the army, or I'll take another bite, then another, and another, until there's nothing left of you."

Arial remembered the lie she had just told. "An army. A massive one, ten thousand strong. But I don't know where or why. Only that Elrond has one. I swear it's the truth. I don't know anything else."

The orc stepped back. Ten thousand strong. Were there that many elves in Rivendell? His master would want to know of this immediately. He dropped his head and walked a few steps away from Arial. He knew he would have to move his scouting party quickly and this woman would slow them down if he took her captive. He knew if he fed her to his scouts, they would be fattened and would not want to run quickly. And this tidbit of information was too important to delay telling Sauron. If he killed her, they would still eat her. Perhaps he could help engineer her escape. He could wait until the others fell asleep. He looked back at the woman. She had already passed out from the pain. She would need a horse to get away. And he had to stop that bleeding. The others could smell her blood and had started to grumble about being hungry. He yelled aloud and his scout leader brought him a small wooden box. The leader walked over to the bleeding appendage, opened the box, and smeared a dark brown greasy gel over the end of her finger. He ripped a piece of her shirt loose and tied the material over the finger. The bleeding stopped and he snorted, satisfied.

The orc looked over the others of his scout party and saw that they paid him no attention and were setting up an encampment. They had unpacked their one unruly horse of their supplies and had left the horse tied up about ten feet from where he stood. He removed one of his daggers from its sheath and discreetly sliced into the rope binding the woman. When only a few strands where left of the rope, he sheathed his dagger and walked away, passing out orders to the other orcs that the woman was not to be molested as he walked through the hasty camp. He hoped the woman still had enough sense about her to make good her escape when she woke up. He ordered one of the least intelligent of his crew to take the watch, as he lay down and pretended to sleep. He would watch her escape from this position. He had done all he could do to aide her without actually setting her free. And with her gone, he had the ability to get this dire information to Sauron as quickly as he possibly could.

**oOo**

_**Authors note: I know it was pretty gruesome…but orcs are nasty beasts. Leave a review and let me know how you like or dislike the story so far.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Arial**

**A Horse with No Name**

**Chapter Eight**

_**by Bethuviel**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

The dark haze slowly receded from Arial's mind as she pulled her head up from its resting place on her right arm. She forced her eyes to open as she wiggled her hands. Pain shot up through her arms from the weight of her body interfering with the circulation of blood. She almost screamed out but bit her tongue instead when the memory of her capture and torture flooded her mind. She twisted her head around and saw the orcs. They were asleep; including one who she thought was probably supposed to be on watch for the group. She looked at her wounded hand and tentatively wiggled her fingers. The pinky finger was bandaged and there was a brown substance smeared over the length of the entire finger. She thought it was a miracle that she did not feel any pain.

She grit her teeth as the sensation of needles ran up and down her arms. Arial wanted to jump and flail around but she held still, not wanting to attract anymore unnecessary attention. She controlled her breathing much like a woman in labor. When her arms returned to a normal aching, Arial pulled against the ropes, leaning away with the weight of her body and digging the heels of her feet into the dirt below her for added leverage. She could feel the rope stretch and give slightly. She relaxed and caught a few deep breaths before attempting again.

Without warning the rope snapped and Arial fell sideways, hanging by one arm. She scrambled to get her feet beneath her and stood up. She searched the camp for signs of the orcs waking up and saw two roll over in their sleep. Arial twisted and untied the knot on her other hand, then bent and freed her feet. She saw the horse tethered a few feet from her and smiled at her fortune.

On tip-toes she crept over to the animal, which nuzzled her with its nose when she stood beside it. Surprised, but grateful for the friendly greeting, Arial thought that the horse probably did not like the orcs any better than she. Arial led the horse away from the camp as quietly as they both could walk, then, when feeling safe she grabbed onto the mane and pulled herself up and onto its back. She did her best impression of a cowboy on a quick getaway and rode into the night. Arial was too frightened to slow or look back. She rode with her face inches above the horse's neck, hanging on for dear life. The horse sensed the urgency of their situations and rode for freedom.

Finally, the horse slowed and Arial sat upright. She did not realize how tense she had been until she felt herself exhale. She unclenched her teeth, and examined her wounded hand. There was no sign of fresh bleeding. She was afraid to remove the bandage from her finger. She could still feel the orc sucking on her finger and she gagged.

"Should have been nicer to Elrond…" she spoke to the horse. Arial patted the neck of her partner and said, "Thank you for helping me escape. Now we're both free. You got a name?" She paused and waited. "You're just a normal horse!" She had half expected the horse to reply to her question and was surprised when it did not answer her back. "Well, finally, some normalcy. Say, you don't do anything weird do you?" The horse rolled its eyes back at Arial. "No, good. I'm glad. I've had all the excitement I think I can stand." She laid her injured hand in her lap and held onto the mane of her ride with her other hand. "Got any idea how to get to Bree? That's where I'm headed." The horse continued to plod along. Arial looked at the night sky and shook her head. She had no idea where she was, or even where they were headed. She was just glad she was away from the orcs.

"I should have listened," she spoke again to the horse. "I shoulda let the elves help me then I'd still have all my finger." She was amazed that it did not throb from pain. "I wish I knew what that brown goo was, could make a million off that stuff." As she rode, she looked at her finger. Water spilled from her eyes and streaked down her face. She felt sorry for herself, and the loss of part of her pinky finger. Tears fell from her chin and dropped onto her hand causing Arial to start to wail like a two year old child.

"I want my momme e e eee…" She cried. Arial turned into a blubbering mess as the stars shined down upon her. "Gawwwd" She wailed. "Why! Why! Why me?" She sputtered. She lay back down on the neck of the horse and continued to cry until she fell asleep.

**oOo**

Arial woke the next morning to the sound of voices. She flinched and saw people standing around her. She hurriedly wiped her eyes and mouth. She stared at the men surrounding her, not sure what to do.

"Don't worry miss, we'll not harm you." Said a tall skinny man with a beard.

"That's good to know, hi, I'm Arial," she rattled out at an incredible speed. Her finger was starting to throb and Arial held her hand against her chest. She hoped that her 'howdy' would waylay what seemed the normal introductions in fantasy land.

The men nodded their heads at her and one stepped forward. "Hello, I'm Tomas and these men are my companions," he pointed to each as he told her their names, "Richard, Harold."

Arial hid a smirk, thinking to herself, "Great, now I've met every Tom, Dick and Harry on the way. All I need is a yellow brick road and a little dog named Toto, too!"

She said aloud, "Nice to meet cha. Where you fellas headed?" The men gave her a strange look and considered her words.

"We were traveling to the village of Bree and had rested here overnight when your horse rode into our camp this morning when were preparing to leave," explained Tomas.

"Well, I just barely escaped from a bunch of nasty orcs who took off part of my finger," she held out her hand for them to see. The men gasped at her revelation and began looking in several directions with worry etched on their faces, "and I'd appreciate it if'n you could see fit to let me hitch along with yens."

"You poor child." Sympathized Richard. "Where's your family. Surely you're not traveling alone?"

"I'm lost. Trying to find my way back home. Yeah, I'm alone."

Harold stepped forward and patted her horse on its nose. "You're traveling with us."

"Do you remember where you met the orcs?" Asked Tomas.

"Back that way," Arial gestured behind her, hoping she was right, "That is if the horse traveled straight. I fell asleep sometime in the night."

The men led her on the horse as they traveled and bombarded her with questions of her capture and escape. Arial answered truthfully, and for once, without her usual sarcastic tone. She was grateful not to be alone, with humans, and felt like her newfound friends were trustworthy. But when questioned about her home, her answers were vague. The men noticed, but did not push her, assuming that she was still in shock and that her ordeal with the orcs had somehow interfered with her ability to remember specifics. They offered her water and food which she consumed with fierce greed.

They stopped at noon for a brief rest and Tomas sat down beside Arial on a rock. "Let me look at your hand, Arial."

She was cautious at first but then she gave him her hand. He slowly removed the bandage and gasped when he saw her finger. "Looks like they used some kind of their medicine on it. Worked well. The end of the finger has formed a solid crust and doesn't look like its getting infected." Tomas looked at Arial before continuing, "I'm somewhat of a healer, Arial." He turned away, "Richard, will you bring me my medicine bag and some water?"

A few minutes later Richard appeared with the items in hand. Tomas rummaged through his bag, removing various items. Richard put water into a small pot and waited for it to come to a boil, already familiar with Tomas' routine. When it had reached the desired temperature, he removed the pot from the fire and delivered it to Tomas as well.

Tomas allowed the water to cool a few seconds before adding herbs. Arial watched everything the two men did with rapt attention. She supposed they were making the medicine the "old fashioned way." She found it to be quaint.

After a few minutes, Tomas dabbed a clean cloth into the herbal mixture and said to Arial, "This may sting a little, but it is necessary to clean your wound and hand, Arial." She nodded and held her breath, waiting for the promised pain. She felt the damp cloth rub against her skin, removing the unknown substance the orc had applied. At first as her skin began to breath she felt a pleasant tingling sensation and she smiled. Her smile quickly changed to a grimace as Tomas continued to clean her wounded finger. She could feel the stinging travel up her arm and explode through her nervous system. Arial clinched her free hand into a fist and tried not to squirm.

"Almost done," Tomas reassured her. "There, all done." He wrapped her finger with clean bandages and Arial ventured a peek at her hand. A clean cup filled to the brim with a liquid that stank and made Arial's eyes water was shoved under her chin. "Drink this, Arial," said Tomas. "It will keep your finger from hurting."

"What's gonna keep me from puking that stuff up. Gads! That crap stinks!" She snarled her nose and turned away. Tomas put his hand under her chin and turned her head back to the cup.

"I know it smells bad, but I promise, it helps with the pain and soon, you are going to need this. The herbs I cleaned your hand with also deaden pain, but only for a short time. Drink Arial." He spoke with a tone that Arial recognized as from an authority figure and she knew she had no choice but to comply with Tomas' wishes.

Arial sat up straight; readying herself for what she assumed would be the vilest tasting mixture she had ever the misfortune to drink and said before she gulped it down, "Can't argue with the doctor's orders." She bent over and gagged. Arial stuck her tongue out and pulled it back into her mouth again, scraping her tongue against her teeth to remove the film left behind. "Saints preserve me!" She yelled out. Arial coughed up phlegm from her throat and spat it onto the ground. She had paled slightly and looked at Tomas.

"This isn't one of those instances where 'if the cure don't kill you', is it?" She asked.

He cocked his head to one side and after a few moments began to laugh, at last understanding the strange phrase. "No. It will not kill you, I promise. But now if Richard or Harold had made the tea…"

Richard and Harold looked at Tomas with grins on their faces. Arial stopped gagging and joined in the laughter.

An hour had passed when the travelers broke their small camp and remounted their horses. Arial was in no hurry. Her backside was sore and her thighs ached. She was not used to riding but she did not complain aloud. She was grateful that she did not have to walk.

The landscape passed slowly by Arial who quickly became bored. She wondered how these people stood living like they were in the middle ages. She wanted to ask Tomas if she could borrow his cell phone, but refrained for fear of more awkward situations. She did not feel any pain from her finger but her head felt like she had an inner ear infection where she had no balance. She had a hard time focusing her vision and she had to concentrate to stay atop of her horse. She wondered if she was experiencing a side effect of the tea.

"Say Tomas," she slurred, "is that tea sa' posed to make you feel funny?" She slid slightly and caught herself before she fell off the horse.

The men looked at each other. Tomas winked at Richard before replying, "It will be alright, Arial. We will stop and make camp here for the night."

Tomas dismounted and handed his reigns to Harold. "You need rest, Arial." Tomas helped her down while Richard laid out a pallet on the ground for her to sleep on. "Here you are, child." Tomas helped her to lie down and covered her with a blanket. He watched her eyes close and knew she would not wake until afternoon the next day. He turned away and found a place to sit down.

"Richard, Harold, she's out. Won't be waking up anytime soon." He stretched back and propped himself on his saddle that Harold had placed behind him.

"Tomas, what do you think we'll get for her?" Asked Harold.

"Well, if she still has her maiden head, more than most. That is if we can get her to Rohan in one piece and meet with the traders before they move on to Edhelland."

Richard sat down across from Tomas and Harold. "But she's damaged with that hand of hers."

"True, but not so on her face, or the rest of her body," replied Tomas.

"How do you know? You haven't seen her body," interjected Harold.

"We can remedy that. Let's have a look see, shall we?" Tomas stood up and walked over to the sleeping form of Arial. "Mind you both, just a look. She'll be as good as worthless if she's used." The others nodded their understanding as Tomas bent down and began undressing Arial.

**oOo**

_**Author's note: **__Please feel free to leave a review. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Arial**

**Chapter Nine**

**A Rift**

_**By Bethuviel**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

_I apologize for being so tardy with the update. My boyfriend is now my fiancé and things have been pretty busy around here but are settling down._

**oOo**

Arial felt someone touching her body. The fog enveloping her mind made it hard for her to open her eyes but the terror she felt overpowered the drugs racing through her blood. She raised her arms in an effort to ward off her attacker and began screaming. The image her eyes sent her brain was blurred, but she could tell it was Tomas.

He backed away, shocked that she was awake. He knew the game he and his friends had been playing was over. Tomas was basically a coward and had no desire to fight with a screaming woman. Those screams would attract attention, and he had already given her as much of the sleeping herb as he dared. He looked at his friends and shrugged. He could tell they wanted no further part of this plan of theirs to make money. They saddled their horses and rode away leaving Arial alone, again.

She had kicked viciously at Tomas while trying to scoot backwards on the ground to get away from him. She saw that he and his friends left her and she stopped screaming. Relieved, she lay back down and sighed. Comprehension seeped slowly into her brain and she crawled towards a bush nearby and managed to hide underneath the shrubbery. After rebuttoning her blouse, she had no idea what to do next so she closed her eyes and slept.

When Arial woke up, she did not know how much time had passed and did not see the horse anywhere. She thanked whoever was in charge of the strange world she was now inhabiting that she was still alive. Crawling out from under the brush, she blinked at the harsh sunlight. She was incredibly thirsty and hunger gnawed at her insides. She searched around what was left of the campsite and found that the three scoundrels had left nothing for her.

"Not even a scrap of bread. That's just mean." Arial sighed. She rubbed her stomach as she wondered what to do next. "I should have listened to those elves; at least they had good food there in Rivendell." Arial looked at her wounded hand. She felt sorry for herself and tears began streaking her dirty face. She pinched her lips together.

Her situation was dire and she knew it. Until now, she had never considered herself helpless. Not truly helpless. Arial hung her head and cried. She felt bitterness well up inside of her and she cursed whatever gods occupied this world for their lack of compassion. She considered her plight and with heavy footsteps, she walked in the direction she knew that Bree laid. She considered the hasty retreat of the ruffians and knew that those types of desperate men would not have given up on taking her so easily unless there was a bigger threat to them close by. A threat to them that would hear her screams and come to investigate. Arial felt hope grow inside of her. As she picked up her pace, she began to sing softly to herself. Her eyes continuously scanned her surroundings, searching for any signs of life. As hopeful as she was, her luck had not been good up to this point. She knew she was to blame for the majority of her bad luck, but she still felt the need to blame others as well. She had merely reacted to Elrond trying to keep her against her will.

Arial stopped. Elrond had not been mean to her; she knew it in her heart of hearts, but she could not admit that fact.

She walked further along, not really paying attention to her whereabouts. The day faded into night and she still walked. Arial did not want to stop. She felt the need to keep moving. Every time she had stopped, something bad had happened or led to something bad happening to her. She felt hot, like she had a fever. Then she began to chill and knew she was sick. Rubbing her arms briskly, she stumbled on. The terrain began to change and she slipped and fell. Feeling to weak to get back up, Arial rolled under a bush and fell asleep.

**oOo**

Saruman felt uneasy, and had felt that way for days. Something disturbed the continuum and it gnawed at him like a starving dog on a ham bone. He did not like the feeling; he did not understand what 'it' was or what 'it' meant. He shuffled his robes around causing the colors to shift again. The Dark Lord had not been pleased with the news of an army ten thousand strong in Rivendell and ordered Saruman to build one to match the elves.

Saruman was just returning from one of his many trips to the dark land. He hated going to that wasteland, bowing down before that cursed being, but what other choice had he? It was either join or face annihilation himself. And Sauron liked living, and he liked power. The Dark Lord had promised him continued power in the coming new world in an allegiance. Saruman smirked to himself. He was aware that the Dark Lord would suffer no other to share power with him, and knew the promise to be a lie the second he had heard it, but knew of no other way to buy time than to align himself with Sauron, if only temporary. Saruman felt that in time, he would discover the ring of power and destroy Sauron permanently.

But this new feeling, this rift in the continuum, Saruman could not decipher. He did not know the source, or the reason for the rift. He only knew that one existed. He traveled quietly, not wanting to be discovered by others traveling in the night.

Saruman wondered how he was going to build an army to match Elrond's. "Ten thousand strong, indeed!" Saruman doubted if there were that many elves left in the whole of Middle Earth, the elves were too busy fleeing to Valinor. He smirked at his last thought. "About time too! Meddlesome all righteous elves." He secretly hoped that Elrond and Galadriel were on the next boat. "Maybe they'll take that damned Thranduil with them." He shook his head. Of all the elves, Saruman hated those three the worst as they had forever been a thorn in his side. With them gone, the world of men would fall much more easily giving him access to the coveted library of Gondor. A gentle snoring interrupted his thoughts.

Saruman stopped and looked around him. He could hear a human, he could smell a human but he could not see a human. He whispered a spell and the tip of his staff glowed softly. "There you are." He bent over and spied the person. "A girl." He sucked air into his mouth between his teeth. "You, you are the rift."

**oOo**

_**Author's note: **__The next update will be much quicker, I promise. Leave a review!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Arial**

**Chapter 10**

**A Mantle of Responsibility**

**by Bethuviel**

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of The Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

_**Additional note: **__I've decided to include in the notes what I listen to while I write each chapter. I don't know why, I just want to…. "Only Time" by __Enya_

**oOo**

Arial awoke with a gasp. Total darkness enveloped her and she blinked her eyes several times. She slowly spread her hands out in front of her and patted at her body, the bed she supposed she lay on and what she hoped were walls at her head and left side. Tentively, she felt the edge of the bed with her fingertips and eased her legs over the side. She stretched her foot and cautiously tapped the stone floor with her big toe before setting her foot down completely. As she rubbed her foot around, horrible visions played in her head of her falling into an even darker abyss, never to find the bottom. Arial relaxed when she realized that there was indeed a solid surface beneath her and blew out a sigh of relief.

"Hello?" She called out and winced when her voice returned to her in an echo. "Can anybody hear me? Where am I?" She continued even though the echoes overlapped her voice. Cautiously she stood and slid over closer to the wall. She leaned against it for support and directional heading since she could not use her vision in the darkness. She continued to slide her feet across the floor and felt the wall with her hands as she went along. She thought, "Well, this must be how a blind mouse feels in a maze," and chuckled quietly to herself.

Arial noticed that the walls felt to be made of smooth rounded stones similar in size. She could not feel any mortar between them and she wondered who had built the place she was now imprisoned. "Oh no," she delved into her thoughts as she felt her way along the walls of her room, "you just couldn't stay with the slightly eccentric elves and ol' pointy ears, no, not you. You just had to run out and get yourself into one mess right after another. Now you're missing part of a finger, got a scarred up back, nearly raped by bandits, and still cold, hungry, and alone. The only thing you've haven't got is pneumonia, but just hang on long enough and you'll get that too, if you don't die first."

Suddenly she stopped. She felt a crevice in the wall, then rough wood. She ran her fingers over the wood and found what felt like iron imbedded with screws. "A door!" She excitedly thought. Her pulse quickened slightly as she stubbed her wounded finger on the door knob. Arial grabbed it and pulled. Then she tried twisting it and heard the lock clacking in resistance. She was purposely trapped.

"Damn it all to hell!" She exclaimed. Her anger boiled and she felt herself getting hot. She stomped her foot, and started sliding against the wall back in the direction of the bed.

Arial ran her hands over the head and footboard of the bed. It was made of wood. She gave the footboard a good jerk and found that the bed was not well made and weakly held together. She jerked it back and forth, over and over until she heard a snap and landed hard on the floor.

"Aawww!" she cried out, rubbing her buttocks. She felt around the floor around her until she was grasping a large piece of wood. She ran her hands up and down the expanse of wood, noting that the end was jagged and had a very large nail protruding from the end of it. She smirked. "That'll do some damage," she thought.

Arial scooted back to the wall at the top of what was left of the bed and stood up with her weapon in one hand and used her other hand to feel her way back to the door. Once there, she squatted low on the side opposite the hinges and waited. Her body wasn't used to being in that position and soon her legs twinged with the first signs of cramps. She wiggled around, trying to get more comfortable when she heard a key scrapping in the lock of the door. Arial froze and held her breath.

**oOo**

Saruman dared not to touch the palantir out of fear that Sauron would learn of the girl's existence through him. She was a secret he wished to keep to himself. Saruman knew that she had been in Rivendell. He could still see, although faintly, the aura of the elves clinging to her own aura. Saruman guessed that she had been in Elrond's presence less than two weeks past. He smirked. If she had been there, she would know about the secret council that been held and perhaps the subject of discussion. Was she the one that his captain had found in the wilderness and allowed to escape?

He slapped his hands together hard. He felt the stinging sensation and smiled. He had already surmised that the one ring was the topic of discussion from the reports of his spies. Why else would elves, dwarves, men and hobbits come together? And that traitor Gandalf thought to help them?

Saruman laughed aloud. He pictured Gandalf in his ratty gray robes. Yes, Gandalf would probably want to lead them on whatever quest they took upon themselves. The fools! Could they not see that against the Dark Lord there was no immediate victory? It was better to bow and serve now, and strike later from a position of power.

Saruman looked around him. He was sitting at his desk in his study. He eyed the various papers stacked haphazardly about him. He saw the dust floating in the sunlight penetrating one of the few windows of the Ornthanc. He snorted his disgust. Of late, his stronghold had become a disheveled mess and smelled musty. But then again, he had been quiet busy. How had Gandalf managed to summon one of the eagles to his rescue? Saruman rapped his knuckles on the desk top. Gandalf had quickly become a thorn in his side. Gandalf. He would have to particularly careful with that stubborn wizard or all of his laid plans would come to ruin. Gandalf…

"Bah!" he exclaimed and shoved a stack of papers from his desk. He sat back and watched them flutter in the air and finally settle to the floor adding to the mess that surrounded him. "One day, you will bow before me, begging for my mercy. You and all who follow you." He clinched his bony fist and slammed it down with a thump.

He would not be thwarted in his desires. He would bring all of Middle Earth under his authority. He would obtain the one ring for himself and over throw that pathetic substitute Morgoth left behind. An eye. Flaming at that. Saruman would never fully surrender to that. The Dark Lord could not ever be allowed to regain his full form.

Frustrated, Saruman spoke aloud his thoughts, "Can the fools not see? I am the only one with the strength to master the will of the ring! I am the only one with the power to destroy him. I am the only one on this cursed earth with the capability to overthrow and destroy that abomination!" Saruman spun around, stood up and walked out onto a balcony behind him. He looked out into the horizon. He could feel the distress of the earth. He could feel the ripples of time and was suddenly pulled back to the immediate task securely locked away in his prison cells.

She had somehow affected the continuum of this world. There was no longer balance. Saruman knew that the balance would have to be restored, whether the one ring had been found or not. The foundations of Arda depended on this balance. The survival of every living thing upon Arda depended on the balance of Arda. She did not belong here, that much he did know. But where was she from? How did she get here? What would he do with her?

Saruman knew that she would have to kept here for her own safety, as well as the safety of Arda. And no matter the expense, or effort, she absolutely could not be revealed to the Dark One. She would have to be kept hidden, kept secret.

Saruman called to a servant and ordered that a tray of food be assembled for him and the prisoner. He would sit and eat with her. He would gain her trust. She did not look as though she had been befriended by anyone, but indeed had had a rough journey. Certainly, Middle Earth had not been kind to her, that much was obvious. She was out of her element, out of her understanding. Yes, he would become a friend to her, and she to him.

He would learn all that he could from her, and then he would find a way to return the balance of Arda. He could feel the bands of time, the very bands that held Arda in existence, begin to tear. The tearing was just beginning, and was slow. He knew that he did not have much time before the damage was irreparable. He also knew that there was point of no return and once that point had been passed, Arda would rip itself apart in its own destruction. Saruman winced. He knew this task laid before him would not be easy. But he also knew that if he failed, all would fall to ruin and destruction, and the ring would be the last of their worries.

The servant returned with a tray laden with fresh food. Saruman took the tray and dismissed the orc. He disliked the orc as a race, but had accepted that they were a temporary and necessary evil. Once he had defeated Sauron, he would destroy the orcs and rid Arda of them also. He rolled his eyes as he walked up the stairs leading to the prison cells. He had much to do and no one appreciated him. One day, everyone would see what a benevolent father he had been to Middle Earth. That one day was coming and he worked towards that end without ceasing. He was tired, but rest would also come in that one wonderful day when all would bow to him and his magnificence.

He had lost himself in his thoughts and had passed the door of his concern. He turned and walked back to it. He stood outside for a few minutes. She was awake. He could hear her steady breathing, but her heart rate was elevated. He knew she would be disoriented, scared and hungry. He detected something else, something he did not like and stepped back from the door.

**oOo**

_**Author's note: **__That's all for now, but a new chapter is on the way soon! Leave a review…it's encouraging and feeds the muse!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Arial**

**Chapter 11**

**Choices**

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of the Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

Saruman fingered the key. He pondered the different possibilities and paths before him, each intricately woven web dependant upon the choice he would now make. He smiled widely and spoke what he knew to be the truth, "Girl! I am Saruman, a white wizard, and lord of this keep. I do not wish to harm you. I know that you are hungry and thirst. I have brought you food." He paused, expecting a reply from the other side of the door.

A raspy voice called, "You got me locked up in here! Let me out!"

"I shall, once you step away. The door was locked for your own protection. I wish you no harm." Saruman hoped she believed him. For reasons beyond her current comprehension, he did not intend to harm the young human girl. "I wish to aide you and have brought food and drink for your refreshment and nourishment."

Arial leaned back against the wall. For her entire journey, she had not trusted the right individuals and all the wrong ones. He had said he was a white wizard. Did that mean he was good? She was weak from her ordeals; the nerves in her hand screamed in agony and her back stung and ached. She knew she had no choice except to trust the owner of the voice on the other side of the door.

"Fine." She said and resigned herself to whatever fate held for her. She dropped her makeshift weapon and stumbled away from the door.

**oOo**

Saruman perceived that she had complied with his wishes and relief washed over him. Using the master key, he unlocked and opened the door. Light flooded the little room. Looking upon her, he did not know if the girl was normally that pale but he held the opinion that she looked ghastly and surmised that he had little time to spare. Saruman worried for the outcome of his own world and secondly hers if the precious balance of the continuum were forever unrepairable by her untimely demise on a world not of her own origin. He could almost feel each individual gritty piece of sand scraping through the narrow hourglass.

He did not understand how she had come to Middle Earth. Such an event should have been impossible. Being a Maia, Saruman knew that there were other worlds and dimensions existing at the same time. He had also seen Eru seal the doors and passageways between the various dimensions shut. Her presence here had added a foreign life form to Middle Earth. He mentally compared this catastrophe to a deadly viral infection.

Saruman entered into the small room and with a few steps, stood towering over the frail looking female. He wondered how one so small could threaten the very existence of all worlds, no matter the dimension.

**oOo**

Arial watched the figure in the door. She could not make out his face with the light source coming from behind him. Watching him duck in through the door, she was shocked at his height. Searching her memory, she failed to imagine anyone for comparison. Suddenly, she felt very small and insignificant. As he stood over her, she felt the need to draw circles on the floor with the toe of her shoe and wring her hands.

Feeling a moment of braveness, she chanced a glance up when a glow started to fill the room. It came from the top tip of his long slender grayish white stick. She had expected some kind of ragged looking wand and smirked. Maybe in this world, wizards had long walking sticks instead. Nothing seemed too fantastical for her to believe any more. Arial half expected Puff the magical dragon to come swooping in just any moment with a parade of purple unicorns singing and dancing. Then she heard him speak.

Deep and majestic, his voice seemed to reverberate and invade every cell in her body. She did not feel threatened, but comforted, secure and safe for the first time in her horrendous adventure. She relaxed and wanted to answer his questions.

"I'm Arial Middleton from Waverly, Kentucky."

"No, I don't remember how I got here. One second I'm at home in the bed, the next I'm here."

"Yes I met some people who said they were elves in a place called Rivendell."

**oOo**

_AN: That is all for now. It feels good to be back. Leave a review!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Arial**

**Chapter 12**

**Saruman, the Benevolent**

by **Bethuviel**

_**Disclaimer:** __**The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing **__**The Lord of the Rings**__**. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site.**_

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Pausing with his questioning, Saruman stepped back from Arial. She had spoken the magical word, Rivendell. He could not allow her to know of his alliance with Mordor, yet he had to pry as much information as possible from her. He knew he had to step lightly.

"Did you like your visit in Rivendell?" He queried her.

"Not particularly. They wanted to hold me prisoner, though they promised to help me get back home." Her eyes were glassy and her face slack. "They threw me into a river in the end and told me to leave before Lord Elrond commanded me drowned."

It was Saruman's turn to be surprised. He had heard the elves in Rivendell to be hospital, especially to damsels. They were secretive, but never hostile to the innocent or distressed. Confused, he pressed further, "Why did the elves throw you into the river?"

"I called Lord Pointy Ears a coward. It infuriated him." Saruman's eyes widened like saucers. He knew of Elrond's reputation, and as much he hated to admit it, Elrond was no coward; his reputation and deeds from the Battle of the Last Alliance had spread throughout Arda. He felt that girl was lucky to be alive after such incredible slander.

"I am sure you had good reason, especially since they were going to hold you against your will…" He let the statement hang in the air, patiently waiting for a response from her. After several moments, he spoke again.

"I also am persecuted by the elves, necessitating my stronghold. I fear they seek to destroy the last hope of this good earth. I am the protector of all peoples, ensuring freedom for all who draw breath on Arda."

He circled around her, stopping just behind her, and leaned closer to her ear. "Arial, you must help me. You must help the peoples of these lands. Tell me, do the elves plan to move an army against me?"

Arial stood, hypnotized by his deep voice that moved like soothing waves throughout her mind and consciousness. She felt the lull and did not posses the desire or will to resist. "Tell me, Arial, did you see or hear anything that would help me defend the people of this earth…please help me as I have helped you by providing you a safe haven…"

Yes, she had to help him. She searched through her memory of her encounters with Rivendell. They had wanted to hold her prisoner, supposedly for her own protection. There were visitors expected. One had told her. Moreover, there were of course the demons that were on the other side of the river that had tried to capture her. Then the demons had captured her, bit off her finger and whipped her back….Maybe they were sent by the elves….That was the army of the elves. Those things had not shown up until she was with the elves.

"Yes, they are mounting a great army for what purposes I do not know. They are without mercy and cruel. And were expecting more guests." She felt good that she was actually able to help this wonderful white wizard. It was a good thing he had found her, had helped her, and had saved her from the elves and their army. She swayed on her feet under his trance.

Saruman drew a quick sharp breath. It was, as he had feared. Lord Elrond was persuading the race of men and elves to march against him. No doubt with that worthless traitor, Gandalf at his side. He would be forced to do as the Dark Lord Sauron wished, and build an army before never witnessed by any of Arda; an army that could move during the day as well as night, with great endurance and strength. His mind raced to work possible solutions to his problem.

Arial sighed pulling Saruman from his thoughts. The problem standing before him had to be addressed first, and quickly. If the continuum collapsed, there would no worlds for anyone to worry over, including his.

"Come Arial, let us sit here and refresh ourselves." He released her from his hold.

**oOo**

Arial woke up and looked at the old man standing before her holding a tray piled with food.

"Can we just eat here; I don't think I could take another step without falling where I stand?" Her mouth watered and her stomach growled loudly. She hoped he did not hear her body begging for the food that he held not a foot away from her.

He smiled at her, and without pretense, they sat on the floor in the middle of her room. He ate sparsely, while she did not attempt to hide her appetite.

**oOo**

_AN: Hope you enjoyed. Will update soon. Leave me a review to let me know your thoughts!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Arial**

**Chapter 12**

**Salvation and Hope**

**by Bethuviel**

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of the Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Arial had gorged herself until she could literally feel food sitting in her throat. She felt assured that if she bent the wrong way, every thing she had just eaten would come spewing out of her mouth. With her hunger staved off and feeling content, she wondered what this curious white wizard would do with her.

She had little to no skills. She could grow and tend a garden, wash dishes, and maybe do a little cooking over a campfire. Other than those few things, she had no idea how she could repay the debt for the hospitality that had been given to her.

The wizard was watching as if questioning himself about her. She wondered what had clouded his eyes and desperately hoped that his thoughts were not too critical of her.

Anxiety built within her, and curiosity ate at her. Arial wanted to look around the strange building where she was now housed, hopefully as a guest. She was tired. Her bones hurt and her muscles ached from her weariness. Mentally, she was taxed as far as she could withstand. She feared teetering over the edge into a yawning void, forever to fall in darkness with no escape.

She waited patiently for Saruman to make his next move.

**oOo**

He could not believe that one so small could hold so much food. He wondered where she put it…maybe she was related to half-lings. He had heard a rumor that the little beings ate like mumakils. It was a small matter of wonder to Saruman.

He sighed. Saruman anticipated the upcoming battle for Middle Earth. Harboring no doubts of sending the female sitting before him to her own world where she could gobble up her own food, he searched his memory for anything that would assist him in that labor. He was not confident if he was powerful enough to accomplish such a feat. Saruman winced at the thought of having to ask his new nemesis, Gandalf, for help.

"I am the white wizard, the head of our order. I will not beg any boons of that raggedy lover of humans." He thought. Remembering the girl in front of him, he quickly masked his features to show only benevolence. He could not afford for her to guess his true nature.

His eyes grew larger as he watched her as she guzzled another glass of red berry juice.

Saruman stood and gathered his robes around him. "My dear Arial, I shall have a bath drawn for you. Unfortunately, I do not have any clean clothing to offer you, as the Ornthanc has long been bereft of feminine company." He watched as delight danced on her features and continued, "Thereafter, we shall have to travel to a companion and friend of mine. He shall assist us in sending you back to your proper home."

**oOo**

Arial could not believe her good fortune. "A real bath!" She thought. She felt like dancing. Not only was her stomach full, but she would be clean as well. Arial did not mind so much about fresh clothes, at least she could scrub her skin clean and wash her dirty hair.

"Home!" She exclaimed aloud. "Oh thank you! Thank you!" Arial could not contain her joy and excitement. She jumped up and down, flailing her arms in the air. She would be going home at last!

At a few moments, she remembered herself and calmed down. "Eh, sorry. It's just that that is all I've wanted from the beginning, to go home. But no one would listen to me; no one would help me. And, well, you're the only one who's got it. That I want to go home, I mean."

The old man smiled at her. Arial grinned back at him. She let down her guard and relaxed. She felt confident that Saru…Saur…Saru…what ever his name was would indeed help her. At last, she had found a true friend.

Arial heard him chuckle. "He likes me, he really likes me," she thought. She had temporarily forgotten that he had mentioned a friend.

She followed him out of the room and down a narrow hall. She looked at the design and confirmed her suspicions that she was in a circular tower made of some kind of stone she had never seen before. Touching the walls lightly with the tips of her fingers, she felt the smooth stone. "Like glass. I wonder how they did this." She questioned in her thoughts.

She used the hand railing as they went down a stairway to another level. She felt dizzy. She held her head with her free hand and swallowed. Arial felt like she would vomit. She swallowed again and started to control her breathing. Her humiliation would be insurmountable should she regurgitate after everything Sarusomething had done for her. Not to mention the fact that she had ate like a pig…

He led her into a rounded chamber that looked like a regular bathroom from back home during the early forties. She took in her surrounding. There was an iron tub supported by four claw feet. A few feet from the bath was a freestanding vanity of sorts with something that resembled a hairbrush sitting in front of a real mirror, and off to the right of that to her surprise was a crude working toilet with a wooden seat. Arial smiled. She had landed, at last, in some civilization.

Saru…Sarman…Sariman…the old man showed opened a wooden cabinet and showed her where the towels were located and excused himself, closing the door to the chamber behind him.

Her posture slumped as she sighed. She felt at peace. Arial turned on the faucets to the tub and allowed the warm water to fill the bathtub. She stripped off her clothes. She picked up her underwear and went to the vanity. She turned on the water, picked up a bar of soap and began scrubbing her dainties. Arial sniffed them in her hand and determined that they were clean. She rinsed them out and hung them from the edge of the vanity to air dry.

She went back to the tub and turned the water off. She stepped into the water and eased herself down until she was comfortably stretched out; then lay back and let the warm water tickle her chin. She had not meant to, but Arial fell asleep.

Hours later, the chill of the water woke her.

**oOo**

Saruman had left the girl to do whatever females did in the bathroom. He knew she would be in there for at least an hour, if not hours on end. Females were alike; they took forever to do the simplest of tasks in that one room. Nevertheless, he knew he needed that time to prepare for their journey. He knew what lay ahead, and he hated that he had no recourse except to go before the Great Dark One. He knew if there was any chance to save Middle Earth, her world, and the continuum of time itself, he would have to have his lord's assistance.

He dreaded having to travel in that obnoxious dark wasteland. Then, to have to go before the presence of that malevolent being, Saruman felt a sort of defeat gnawing slowly at his soul. This was not what he wanted for her, to have to expose her to that sort of evil. Would she be tainted? Would she survive the encounter? Once she was in her own world, would Sauron be able to follow her?

Would Sauron have access to other worlds and spread his evil disease, conquering without mercy or end?

Saruman knew that he had no other choice. Sauron alone had the power to send her back.

Saruman hoped those despicable elves and men did not have the one ring and manage to destroy it before he accomplished this task, else they would all be doomed.

"How ironic," he thought, "the very thing we all seek must not be destroyed just yet. Ironic indeed! That I shall have to grovel before that evil bastard and elicit his help to save Middle Earth, other worlds and realms…." Saruman shook his head. "But it must be so, for if not, all will be lost. No one will survive and there will be no worlds or realms, no life, nothing…"

**oOo**

Arial sat upright in the cold water. She used her big toe to turn on the hot tap, and then pulled the drain plug to allow the cold water to escape and prevent an overflow. When the water had drained halfway, she used her toes to maneuver the plug back into the drain. Feeling lazy with her muscles fully relaxed, she scrubbed her body and washed her hair. When she was finished, she stepped out, walked over to the wooden closet, and retrieved a towel.

She patted herself dry. Bending over, she gathered her hair and wrapped the towel around her head.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She not only looked clean, but smelled clean as well. Smiling at her reflection, Arial noticed she had lost weight. "Well, I needed to lose a few pounds anyway, just never imagined I would lose it like this," she whispered to the air.

Checking her underwear and finding them dry, Arial dressed herself. She heard a tapping at the door. "Yes," she called out, "please come in."

Saruman opened the heavy oak door and stepped inside. His face revealed nothing except a fatherly concern for Arial.

"If you are ready, we must leave immediately. Time is of the up most importance and we cannot delay. I apologize, for I would have you rest for at least one night before such a journey, but alas, we do not have such a benefit. Come, we must hurry, Arial, before all is lost."

She removed the towel from her head, picked up the hairbrush and ran it quickly, removing all the tangles. Laying it back down on the vanity, she tossed the towel into the tub, and followed the old man out of the bathroom, down the seemingly endless stairs to the ground floor. She watched him scoop up a bag and hand her funny looking leathery ones filled with what she assumed was water. Arial slung them over her shoulder, adjusting them so the weight was even on her back.

"Come; follow me to our salvation and hope." His graveled voice filled the large foyer with authority. She nodded her head and willingly did as he bade her.

**oOo**

_AN: Thank you for your patience. I apologize for the long wait with the update. I promise I will try to update weekly. _

_Leave a review and let me know what you think…_


	14. Chapter 14

**Arial**

**Chapter 14**

**The Appearance**

**by Bethuviel**

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of the Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Two lone figures laden with bulging bags moved silently in the darkness of night, their silhouettes intermittently lit by the silver moon that would peek occasionally between the clouds overhead. Pressed as he was for time, Saruman wished to remain as inconspicuous as possible on the trek that lay before them. How many lifetimes measured by the standards of man had he spent on this Middle Earth, only now to wish he had more to spare. This predicament with Ariel had certainly thrown a wrench into his mechanics. She was like an unwelcome spider that had suddenly made its presence known at dinner inside a cooked dumpling that had been cut open with a fork.

There were so many pressing matters weighing on his mind. He knew that the ring had been discovered and from what he had deduced from Ariel, the elves of Rivendell were in possession of the cursed thing.

"_I alone possess the strength to bend it to my will," _he thought. _"The army must be created…Sauron will not rest until I have accomplished the task." _

Without the power of the one ring, Saruman knew he could not overthrow the Dark Lord. Saruman hated and greatly feared him. Nevertheless, until he had the ring on his finger, he would bow to the Malevolent One. Daily, he fought the insanity that threatened to overtake him. He could feel the tendrils growing inside his mind, and its grip was like a vise, tightening with each passing day. He sighed.

He looked behind him. There she was, stumbling in the darkness, determined to follow him in hopes of returning to her home. He could understand her longing to be restored to her own world where she would be reunited with her loved ones. He would feel the same way if he were in the same position as she.

"Come along, Ariel. Time is of the essence, we must hurry," he called out to her. She looked up at him and nodded her head.

Saruman had slipped the palantir in his own bag that he carried over his shoulder. His malicious master knew he was coming and was sending orcs and horses to aide them. They would meet on the opposite side of the Misty Mountains and be escorted for the remainder of the journey.

Without warning, he stopped. Ariel bumped into him and promptly fell back onto her behind. Saruman ignored her cursing and stood still. He felt different. Massive waves of energy passed through his body. Feeling dizzy, He gripped his staff to steady himself. His legs were ready to give way to his own weight when at last the atmosphere surrounding him returned to normal. His breathing steadied and his heart stopped hammering, and slowly began beating in its usual rhythm. He glanced at his charge and noticed she was lying on her back with her eyes closed.

Saruman quickly knelt at her side and placed his hand on her forehead, "Lasto! Edro chuil lin!" (listen open your eyes)

Ariel began to stir under his hand. She squirmed from his touch, opened her eyes and sat up. "What happened?"

He sighed and answered her truthfully, "The fabric of our worlds," he gestured to her and himself with the same hand he had held on her forehead, "is tearing apart. The worlds are no longer in balance. Your presence here on this earth, threatens all worlds." He paused to allow her to absorb his words, then continued, "You do not belong here and must return to your own world."

Ariel paled. Her breathing was shallow, "What happens if you can't get me back?"

"Then all worlds and all life will cease to exist. That is why we must hurry." He grabbed her under her arm and assisted her up. "The ripples have started…what you just felt before you fainted. The ending has already begun. Once the energy is constant, unwavering, all will implode upon itself and become a void. No life will survive the event, and all will be forever lost." He walked hurriedly ahead of her.

"Holy shit!" She squeaked. "I don't wanna die! Oh my God! How did this happen?"

"Believe me, my dear, when I tell you that no one else wants to die either. As to how it happened…who can be sure? This has never happened before."

"Well, if you ain't sure how it happened, how you planning on sendin' me back?" Her voice was shrill in her panic and she waved her arms and hands through the air frantically.

Saruman stopped, turned around and glared at her. His patience was at an end. "Well, if I knew the answer to that, I would not be preparing to traverse those accursed mountains, and after that, half of Middle Earth!" He drew a deep breath and calmed himself, "Ariel, I am sure that none of this is your fault. However, we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted on our journey by worry and questions that have to certain answer. Now come along, we must hurry with all haste."

He turned away from her, and quickened their pace. Ariel closed her hanging jaw and followed him.

**oOo**

Ariel was afraid. She had trusted Saruman to send her home. Now he had told her in so many words that he did not know how to do the feat. She desperately wanted to know where they were going but she was afraid to ask. She did not like being lectured, even if the fate of the worlds were hanging above their heads.

"_Great!" _She thought, _"Because of me, everything's gonna end if that old man can't figure out what to do and send me back. Where are we going? Are we going to walk all the way there? I thought we was in a hurry…How come he looks like a walking rainbow?"_

She shivered and drew her cloak tighter about her body. It was hard to walk in the dark. She stepped on a rock causing her to slip sideway and cursed again.

The mountaintops glowed in the dark when the moon briefly peeked out from the cloudy night skies above them and a feeling of dread knotted in her stomach. Ariel knew that they glowed because of snow. She was not dressed for extreme weather conditions and did not cherish what lay ahead of her. The land was difficult to travel, especially in the dark.

Her eyelids were getting heavy and she yawned, but she dared not to ask for a respite. She was afraid everything would end because she stopped to rest.

Saruman had told her the truth. She did not know how, but she knew he had spoken the truth, and it scared her near witless. Ariel quelled her fears and drew strength from her mind. She was determined not be the cause of failure and eminent destruction of everything she knew and loved.

Ariel knew they were walking up a slow incline. It was gradual, rocky and miles from what she judged to be the base of the looming mountains.

"Well, if that old man can do it, so can I," she mumbled to herself. She adjusted the slings of the two bags hanging on her back. "Who knew water could be so blasted heavy!"

She spied the outline of the wizard in front of her. She was following him to some place in the middle of the night to meet someone he was sure that could help them. "Good lord, how did I get myself in this mess?"

A harsh shush came from in front of her and she knew to shut her mouth. Apparently, he was just old, not hard of hearing.

Hours had passed and Ariel felt like she was ready to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. Her back and shoulders ached, her legs cramped, and her feet screamed in agony with every forced step of her haunched walk. The darkness of night had begun to recede as light slowly broke the horizon.

Her spirit lifted somewhat when she could discern the progress they had made on their forced march.

"_Gotta save the worlds, gotta save the worlds," _she kept chanting to herself. _"If I have to crawl to get there in time…gotta save the worlds…"_

Sun light suddenly broke free, flooding the awakening world; the brightness made Ariel squint her eyes from the discomfort. Onward she plodded, until at last she collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.

**oOo**

Saruman heard her fall. Still, he was impressed with her determination. He knew they would not be able to travel any further without allowing the human to rest for a few hours. A familiar feeling washed through him.

"_No! Not so soon!" _he thought. The dizziness overtook him and he crumbled to the ground grasping his staff. He collapsed unconscious a few feet in front of Ariel.

**oOo**

_AN: Thank you for reading. Please leave a review._


	15. Chapter 15

**Arial**

**Chapter 15**

**Losing Time**

**by Bethuviel**

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing The Lord of the Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Saruman drifted effortlessly over the planes of Arda. He knew he was free from physical laws that bound him to his body, free from the laws directed by his masters on distant shores that bound him from using his full force and might to achieve his will on the beings of Middle Earth. His enjoyment was brief and his attitude soured as he felt himself being drawn back to his prison of flesh.

He was bitter in his heart. Why did he have to be chosen to come to the aide of the weak beings of Middle Earth? He had never wanted to come to this cursed place, much less bound in a suit of flesh that restricted his powers. Saruman knew that if he destroyed his fragile body, he in effect destroyed himself and he had no death wish. He and the other Maia's that had been sent to Middle Earth to help her inhabitants were all under the same constrainment. He despised it and those who had sent him.

Rejoined with his body, Saruman sat up. Instantly he remembered the predicament that he and all the races of Middle Earth faced. He looked up at the moon's position in the night sky and calculated how much time had been lost. Three hours. He grieved in his heart. He knew they had not the time to spare, and he hated even more the constraints of his body. He felt so limited in his abilities, crippled even.

He stood and walked over to Arial. She lay snoring in the middle of the road. He could have truly laughed if their situation were not so dire. Saruman poked the human with his staff. She did not respond. He grunted with amusement.

"Stupid human, wake up!" He rapped her across the middle of her body with his staff. His well of patience had run dry. "Wake up!" He growled.

Arial yelped, rolled over, and stood up wide-eyed. She turned slowly, looking for her attacker. Spying only Saruman, her sarcasm got the better of her. "Look here, rainbow man," she waved her hand through the air in a chopping motion, "Same team! Same team. Remember?" She bent down, picked up her bags and slung them over her sore shoulder.

"Yes," Saruman dragged the word over his tongue, "we are on the same team, little one. The fates of the worlds depend on us." He sighed. He wished his plot in life were anything but this. On the other hand, he was glad it did fall on his shoulders. Who else could be trusted with such a burden? The fanciful elves with their dreams of Valinor? Men, who liked sparkly jewelry and power? Or maybe the squat dwarves who lived in their caves, burrowing for treasure? Saruman grunted. He knew he could not rely on any other for their salvation. He straightened his shoulders and began a quick pace to the pass through the mountains.

Arial felt a little better since her nap. Her feet hurt, as did her legs and hips. Her shoulder was sore from the weight of their water bags bearing down on her bones. She was not used to being a beast of burden. It was Arial's turn to grunt.

"Quickly now, Arial! We know not how much time is left to us and every second is precious!"

She forced herself to quicken her own pace until she was just two steps behind the wizard. Hours later when the dawn of a new day threatened to spill over the horizon, Arial gazed with wonder at the mountains around her. She had not noticed when they had entered the pass, her concentration so focused on Saruman's heels. She paused, momentarily forgetting her purpose.

"Fear not, little Arial. I know the way; I have traveled this path many times in my dealings with the lord of Mordor." He took the one of the bags from her shoulder, removed the cap and flipped it up into the air. Cool water washed the road dust and dirt from his mouth. When he had refreshed himself, he nudged her to regain her attention and offered her the bag.

She struggled with the weight a little as she drank. Arial never knew that water could taste so good. Saruman forced her to lower the bag for fear she would founder herself. "Not so much at once, you'll get cramps," he explained to her.

"We must continue our journey without delay. Time is slipping from its ordained path, and the aura of the worlds are beginning to tear. We must hurry!" Saruman turned from her and began to run.

Arial felt sudden fear. She reslung the water bag and followed Saruman's example, concentrating on controlling her breath.

The path was not easy. It was dotted with broken rock and fallen boulders from the mountains around her. She fell a few times, scraping her hands and tearing holes in the knees of her jeans. She did not pause to acknowledge the pain and stinging, but instead would scramble to her feet again, pushing herself onward.

Arial was surprised. She did not think the old man had it in him. She was young by all accounts, but still she had difficulty keeping up with Saruman. _"Guess he took his Geritol when I wasn't looking," _she thought whimsically to herself.

It was getting hotter, and brighter. Arial stole a glance around her and saw that the sun was beginning to blaze over the horizon. When she steadied her gaze for a few seconds on the behemoth, it looked wavy. She blinked her eye lids closed and held them that way for a few seconds.

"_When the sun looks that way back home, it's going to be a scorcher of a day!" _She felt herself falling again. The water bags slid up her back and pushed her head forward, causing her to slam it on a sharp rock.

"Aw!" she cried. "That's what you get you idiot for closing your eyes, damn-it!"

Saruman heard her and turned around. "Yes that is what you get for being so foolish. Now get up and quit wasting our time!" He scolded her.

Arial winced under his condemnation. She stood up and took off running behind him again. Feeling a hot thick substance oozing down her forehead, she ripped a piece of her shirt bottom and held the jagged fabric to the cut. She did not worry about germs. If they did not get to that friend of Saruman's on time, she knew it would not matter, that germs and infection would be the least of her worries.

She tried to block from her mind the possibility that they would fail. She could not fathom that nothing would exist, and that all would just blink out. No one except her and Saruman would know what was happening, if they even had a second to realize it before _it_ happened. It was a hard concept for her to wrap her head around. For everything, everything to cease to exist all at once, as though nothing had always been the order of things.

They ran. And ran. Ran until they both thought their lungs would burst from the effort. At last, Saruman motioned for a break. They, without ceremony, plopped down where they stood, gasping for air. Arial's body trembled and she could not command it to stop. For fifteen minutes, Saruman and Arial did nothing except to sit and breathe.

Saruman opened the bag he had carried on his back. He pulled out food and passed some dried fruit and cheese to Arial. She was drinking slowly out of the water bag and passed it Saruman when she finished. They ate as fast as their teeth could chew.

"Arial, do not fear what I now do. I am calling for aide from my master."

She stopped mid-chew and watched him pull out the largest marble she had ever seen from the other bag he had been carrying. She wondered how much it weighed as she watched him hold it with one hand, his fingers curling up and over the dark swirls. She felt mesmerized, like she was falling into a deep sleep.

Saruman reached over and shook her shoulder, "Don't look at it. Turn around." Arial suddenly woke up and wondered what had just happened to her. She obeyed Saruman and turned around away from him and the weird marble.

"_This world is just too weird for me. Eeee! Sooo glad I don't live here!" _She thought. She kept nibbling at her cheese, intermittently pausing to sip some water. She was starting to feel like a human being again as new strength flowed through her body. _"I feel….alive….yeah….like I've never been….so alive…and aware…." _Arial eyed her bag with suspicion, _"What's in this water?" _Then she realized she did not care, shrugged, and took another slow swig.

Saruman steeled himself for what he had to do next. He had avoided this, but he felt he had no other choice. Now that he knew what to look and feel for, he knew another wave was going to hit within the hour. He could felt the faint shimmer of its power already gathering. He also knew that there would not be many more waves until all was lost. Two, at most three. There was simply not enough time. He was desperate, and desperate times called for desperate means. He had no other hope. He opened his mind and reached out mentally, calling his master as his eyes stared into the swirling clouds of the palantir.

Mentally, Saruman braced himself as a flaming eye appeared, wrapping its tendrils around him.

"My lord, Sauron, I come to you in great need, and dire is the hour. Nazgul, my lord, send the nazgul to bear me and my companion to you; else all is lost."

Saruman broke contact and shoved the palantir back into the bag. He did not want Sauron poking around in his head discovering the future treachery Saruman had in mind concerning the ring.

"Come Arial, we must be moving again. My lord is sending the Nazgul to bear us to him. Do not be afraid of them when they arrive. Stay close to me."

She twisted around and looked at him. "What are Nazgul?"

Saruman chuckled in his gut and smiled at the girl. "They are winged beasts that serve the Lord of Mordor, and they will bear us to him on their backs through the air. Weeks of travel will reduce to a few hours, for they are quick."

Arial did not like the sound of the _"nazz ghoul"_ and wondered what new terror was flying straight at her. Nevertheless, she knew she did not have much of a choice in the matter. Moreover, it would be nice to fly instead of running all the time.

She stood up and dusted her rear off with her scratched up hands. Her forehead had quit bleeding and the cut had crusted over. Her feet were swollen tight in her shoes, and her calves looked twice their size.

Arial sighed and said aloud, "This saving worlds is hard business."

**oOo**

Sweat trickled down the center of Arial's back. It was uncomfortable but not as near as the waterfall running down her face. She would pull the collar of her shirtfront up and wipe off her face every few minutes. It was not long before the front of her shirt was as wet as the back. She raised her arms by turns and took a whiff of her armpits, gagging herself with her own odor. _"Gods, I stink!" _she thought.

Every so often, she would scan the skies above her looking for a flying animal of sorts. She thought she could see a few dark specks in the way distant, but she was not sure of herself.

It felt like they had been running forever, but Arial guessed it had truthfully only been about two hours. And it was more like a jog anyway than running. She had been breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. She hoped she had been doing it right, but figured in the scheme of current things, it did not really matter how she breathed as long as she kept up with Saruman. If she did not keep up, he was likely to whack her with that stick of his again. And that hurt. He had left a bruise on her from the last time. She was no glutton for punishment, and was not aiming to become a martyr anytime soon.

Arial did not think about what she was doing anymore, and ran on instinct. One foot in front of the other, forward, forward, forward. She had decided she had become a slave to fate, and had also decided that she did not like any of it. She had not asked for any of this, it was just plopped down in her lap like a stinky wet stray dog no one wanted. Except she could not shift the responsibility like everyone else, she was chained to the burden. She began to think of things in her recent past. Had she wronged someone and now Karma was paying her back…big time?

It did not matter. She was stuck with the problem, and now she had to deal with it all. Arial was grateful that Saruman was with her. Grateful for the help he promised, as well as the help of his whatever they were running to in a place called Mordor. That was a weird name. She did not like it either. Sounded evil somehow. Mordor. The name felt heavy on her tongue, and her mind. Had there been any other circumstances, she knew that Mordor was a place she would avoid like the plague. Without knowing why, she equated the place to a virtual hell on earth. She felt uneasy and had to fight the desire to run in the opposite direction.

She looked up again and noticed that the horizon was dark, almost void of light. She thought that was strange because the sun was shining overhead, albeit behind dark clouds that had suddenly appeared. With gladness in her heart, she prayed for rain from those clouds. How wonderful it would feel to have clean water running over her filthy road grim covered body and clothes. She was sure she had never been so dirty in her life.

Arial was lost in her thoughts and did not notice that Saruman had stopped and plowed into him, causing them both to fall in a haphazard mess on the road. Saruman cursed under his breath, and Arial did not understand what had just happened.

"Get off of me, you stinking warg!"

"Oh yeah, like you're a freaking rose garden!"

"Why you little brat…" Saruman's jaw hardened and his eyes blazed with his anger.

Arial stood with her hands on her hips and barked back, "And you're just an old wrinkly fart box!"

He spewed as he stood and righted himself, "Why I ought to…"

Arial cut him off, "You oughta what? Kill me and everything goes poof!" She waved her hands through the air adding more drama.

Saruman narrowed his eyes, sprang towards her, and rapped her hard with his staff. "No need to kill you." He thought for a second and added, "Yet."

"Ow, damn it!" She rubbed her arm where he had struck her. She stuck out her lower lip and pouted.

"Not nice to piss off a wizard, my dear. Be glad I did not turn you into something disgusting…and slimy!" He growled as he walked away from her, dusting off his robes with his free hand.

Saruman jerked his head up. The blood drained from his face and his anger toward Arial was forgotten. "Not now," he stated, as his knuckles grew white on his staff and free hand. "We won't make it at this rate!"

Frightened, Arial ran to his side and cuddled herself under his arm. "Is it coming again?" She whispered.

"Hold tightly to me Arial! Do not let go!" Saruman commanded her. With both hands, he held his staff above him as Arial wrapped her arms tightly about his waist and squeezed her eyes close.

"_This is it! It's the end and we're all going to die right now!" _She thought frantically as she squeezed her mouth shut, refusing to scream.

Saruman brought his staff down and stabbed it into the ground in front of him and Arial. A bubble encircled them both. He had no idea if it would hold and shield them from the onslaught coming straight at them. Saruman put his entire strength into the shield, leaning into his staff with a snarl on his face. The wizard's countenance was fierce as he stared at the waves racing towards them. The girl was gripping him so hard in fear that he had difficulty breathing but his mind was set, determined not to lose anymore precious time from being unconscious as a side effect.

Closer the waves raced at them. Seconds and the time warp would be upon them. Saruman felt a wild fear and he winched his eyes closed.

The warp slammed into them, and Saruman dug in harder, refusing to give in. He could feel the dirt sliding under his feet as they were pushed backward. Still he refused, using his entire will to stand. From somewhere deep within him, he pulled all his will, force and might and channeled it to the protective shield around them. Like an animal, he loosed a roar from his chest and out through his mouth, as he bore down harder on his staff.

Arial heard him, out of fear, jumped, and wrapped her legs as well around Saruman. She clung to him, fearful, expecting that the terror had at last been unleashed and everything was ending. Her life flashed in her mind like photographs of individual moments from her birth to just a few seconds prior of her argument with Saruman. She did not want to die like this. She wanted to live. She wanted to die an old woman sitting on her porch watching the bees dance over her petunias. Arial buried her head as far as she could into Saruman's robes, hyperventilating.

They were in the middle of the warp. It wrapped over and around the shield, pushed against it without mercy. Both wills, natural and unnatural, rose like angry tsunami waves against each other, battling for dominance.

Saruman refused to bow, to submit. It was not his way and his stubborn will would not allow him. Instead, he would reckon with the force surrounding him and the girl. He was the head of his order, and most powerful. He would not allow this omen of destruction to defeat him, Saruman the White!

**oOo**

The shield Saruman had constructed had perceptively shrunk under the attack of the time warp. Yet the wizard held onto his staff, reciting the incantations to hold his shield in place. He and Arial were being pushed back to match the incredible rate of speed of the waves traveling through and over Arda. Everything around the two beings was blurred, indistinguishable.

In a flash of knowledge, Saruman had an epiphany. Since the time waves could not pass through his shield, they would push him until the end of all things, or his shield collapsed.

His strength was weakening. Never before had he faced such a force as this. He knew he could not hold much longer, and the shield was contracting around him and the girl.

He had no more strength and his arms failed him, falling down to hang loosely at his sides. His shield collapsed and he and Arial were thrown through the air. With a crashing thud, they hit a boulder and fell to the ground.

Arial tried to sit up, holding her head. When she felt blood trickle from her nose, she knew she was still alive. The sudden stop had caused her to bite her tongue, and she could taste the coppery hot substance as it welled up and flowed over her lips. To her horror, she coughed and sputtered blood onto Saruman's robes. He would whack her with that stick of his for sure now. She wiped at her nose and mouth with her arm and stood up. On shaky legs, she stepped out of his range.

Saruman shook his head as he sat up. He could hear the girl coughing, and sounding like strangely as if she was popping bubbles. He had managed to hold onto his staff and he used it to assist him in standing. He wiped his eyes and looked at Arial. He was relieved she was still alive. Had anything happened to her, the best he could have hoped for would be a quick death. He sighed and leaned against his staff for support.

He smiled at Arial, "Well, we have survived yet again. With any luck, the Nazgul should arrive at any time. How about some lunch while we wait?"

She nodded and smiled back, her teeth tinted pinkish red.

**oOo**

Arial and Saruman sat and ate. It was after noon. This time, Saruman had given her dried meat, cheese and some kind of bread in which she was unfamiliar. She rolled it over her tongue, tasting the grain of the bread. Arial guessed it was made from rye and wheat and she liked it. She did not want to know what kind of meat she was eating, she was just grateful to be eating some. Besides, it had not killed Saruman, so she was sure it was safe to eat.

They were washing down their lunch with the water they had brought, when Arial looked up and nearly choked. Saruman hit her on the back a few times, wondering what had brought the fit. She pointed up so he would look.

She stopped choking at last, looked up and fainted cold where she sat. Saruman frowned at her as the Nazgul landed a few feet from them.

**oOo**

_AN: All reviews are appreciated. Sorry for the long wait, but I did not want to give you nothing less than my best. I will update the next chapter sooner, I promise!_


	16. Chapter 16

**Arial**

**Chapter 16**

**Nazgul**

by Bethuviel

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of the Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

The nazgul waited patiently on their mounts. They had been sent by Sauron with orders to retrieve Saruman with all haste. They did not expect there to be another being with him.

Saruman stood looking at Arial, who lay passed out on the ground. He wondered briefly how the fate of all the worlds could depend on one who had a tendency to faint so often. Dismissing the thought, he tapped on her hip sharply with his staff. She tensed, and then fell back into unconsciousness. There was no time for her tender sensibilities, so Saruman tapped her on the head.

Immediately she scooted back on her butt, sat up, wide-eyed and confused.

Arial was startled. Remembering the horror that had last appeared to her, she looked again and was in danger of repeating her fainting spell. Saruman stepped into her line of sight and growled at her, "Get up! We do not have time for this nonsense. The next wave may be our last!"

Arial responded by jumping up and walking to Saruman. She peeked around him at what looked to be an airbrushed picture straight out of some fantasy fiction book.

"Dragons!" Her brain screamed. "Real! Live! Dragons!" She choked on her own spittle when she observed what sat on the dragons. "Shadow People!" Hysteria threatened to overwhelm her as her body trembled and her breathing came in short and quick gulps. Saruman shoved her away from his body, then slapped her across her left cheek. He felt no hesitation or remorse for his action, but instead deemed it necessary.

Arial sounded an astonished cry, and stared at Saruman as if his skin had turned green and horns had sprouted atop his head. She cupped her stinging cheek with one hand, and flipped him off with the other as she shouted in anger, "Bastard!"

Saruman laughed heartily and exclaimed, "I just may be! Nevertheless, come Arial, enough of this. I will help you onto your mount." He grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her to the closest Nazgul, then without ceremony, threw her up and in front of her dreaded shadow person.

Astonished at the way she was being treated, Arial sat cringing in fear, with her mouth hanging open. Three seconds later, she pinched her nose close and grimaced.

"What ever these damnable things are, they stink like rotten meat that's been sitting in the sun all day!" She felt hot breath on the back of her neck, heard a menacing hiss from the robed being behind her and instantly regretted her outburst. She found some hand holds quickly as the dragon sprung into the air. She held her breath. Then anxiety washed over her as the scaled monstrosity flapped its immense bat like wings and gained altitude.

Exhaling, she raised one fist into the air and grunted loudly, "Yeah!" She felt the wind blowing through her hair as ever higher she rose. Her hand automatically returned to its position and Arial held on for dear life. She was simultaneously thrilled and frightened. Now, she was glad Saruman had tossed her onto the putrid smelling beast on which she sat. Higher and higher they climbed, much to her delight.

When they had leveled, she glanced over and saw Saruman crouching low to the neck of the dragon that bore him. She sat up straighter, and laughed as she had never before in her life. So close to the ceiling, she could smell the dampness coming from within the clouds. Arial squeezed her knees tighter to the sides of her beast, and raised her arms above her head.

A shrill scream of excitement issued from her lips, "Woooo!" as she let her arms cut a trail into the cool clouds above her head. "Woo hoo!" she cried aloud again. She could not contain her pleasure with this new experience of flying. Not even in her dreams, could she fathom anything with this amount of exhilaration. It was as close to flying free through the sky as she could imagine without possessing the ability herself.

When she was at the height of her passions, two cold hands grabbed hers; she felt her own hands being forced down. The grip on her was painful, and chilled her to the bones. A cold ache grew in her hands and arms causing fear to fill Arial. She had never felt a pain like this before and a haze started to grow in her mind. Somehow, she knew that the thing behind her had caused this when it touched her. Suddenly she was not so thrilled.

Arial crossed her arms in front of her, putting her hands into her underarms. She shivered, mild at first, and then escalated to violent spastic jerking. In her mind, this had turned into a ride from Hell and she longed for the end.

She crouched over and laid her head on the neck of the animal carrying her. Self-pity took hold of her and once again she hated ever had coming to the strange and harsh world of Middle Earth. It was a very real nightmare that had threatened her life at every turn of events.

She mumbled aloud, "I need a vacation…"

A gauzy veil seemed to be slowly draping itself over her mind, and she felt drained of all energy. Each breath had become a weary burden to her, hardly worth the effort. The smell of the mount was stronger to her, but it did not seem as offensive as it had in the beginning. It almost smelled normal to her. She could feel herself slipping, but to what and where she did not understand. It only hurt when she struggled against it, so she had stopped. She welcomed the seduction with the promise of a painless existence.

"Yes, no more pain," something whispered to her. Arial could not guess where the voice originated, and she no longer cared. Finally, she would escape from this horrible place, and be one with the voice that beckoned her. She had only to let go of herself, and she would at last be at peace and pain free. It was a wonderful concept to her.

Memories of her home quickly slipped from her mind like sands through an hourglass. She could not remember anything of her life before coming to this world, and she did not want to either.

**oOo**

Saruman was not aware of Arial's current situation. Impatience filled his mind and he could not arrive before his lord quick enough. A solution would be found, and he would be saved.

He had stopped thinking in terms of the survival of everything else, and instead had begun equating the problem in terms of himself. The idea of not existing in some form terrified him.

Finally, their descent began and he knew it would only be minutes before he stood before the terrible Sauron. He glanced over at Arial and smirked. He assumed exhaustion had overtaken her and for once, pitied the frail girl. To him, she was a most unwelcome vagabond from another world that was stranger than his own. He looked forward to ridding himself of her, and the doom she had brought upon them all, especially him.

He felt fate had not been fair to him, and her appearance had nearly ruined all his designs for magnificence. Once the one ring was solely in his possession, Saruman the White, would be remembered in the annuls of the history of Middle Earth, as a gentle, merciful even, potentate. Certainly a kindly all-knowing ruling father figure of the peoples of Arda. All would revere him for his wisdom and benign guidance in the ordering of their lives. Images representing his likeness would be erected throughout all the lands in homage to him, Saruman the White.

His world building was interrupted by the harsh landing of the Nazgul and he made a sour grimace. There was never enough time available to him, for just him. It had always been work, work, work, lots of worry and no fun. It did not matter, after this little problem was solved, he would soon reap his just rewards and admirations. He would not be denied.

**oOo**

Arial's body fell to the ground upon landing. She did not rouse, and Saruman noticed, knowing that the fall should have awakened her. He sprinted to her side, bent and laid his hand on her forehead. He stood and cursed the Nazgul aloud.

"Have you no understanding at all?" he yelled as he pointed the end of his staff at them, his reddened face revealing his anger. "Her survival is necessary! All our lives depend upon it. Without her, we shall all be destroyed!"

**oOo**

_AN: And so we are here at last in the land of Mordor. The final chapter shall be posted tomorrow. _


	17. Chapter 17

**Arial**

Chapter 17

Sauron's Malice

By Bethuviel

_**Disclaimer: **__The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing __The Lord of the Rings__. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site._

_**Author's note: **__All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated. _

**oOo**

Saruman turned away from the Nazgul, bent and grabbed Arial's arm. He dragged her over the black dirt of Mordor toward the hall of Dark Lord, Sauron.

The sun had set making the land surrounding him seem even more menacing. He had difficulty breathing due to the poisonous fumes that threatened to fully saturate the air. The ground beneath was lifeless, cracked and nearly impassable. Yet he strove onward, dragging the limp body of Arial behind him. He had been before the empty throne of Sauron on previous occasions but the purposes of the occasions were not nearly as dire as the current matter.

Saruman could feel a certain energy growing in the air and instinctively knew that another wave was gathering and he feared it, knowing that it could be the last.

To make matters worse, the Nazgul that had rode with Arial had touched her, poisoning her mind with its black death. She was in danger of becoming one of them. He could feel her life force slipping steadily away from her. She could not be allowed to die here. He would send her through the vortex with Sauron's help, in her current state. If she died on her own world, or very likely became a Nazgul there, then let her own people deal with the complication. He had not the time to heal her.

A jagged rock face with a narrow opening stood before him. Once he stepped inside, he knew for better or worse, there was no going back. He drew a deep breath, gathered his strength and will, and then stepped inside. A growing oppression of hopelessness weighed down on him. He recognized it from his previous visits.

Saruman boldly strove before the throne and bent on one knee. He could not visually see Sauron, but could feel and sense his strong presence.

"My Lord, I have come before you seeking aide," Saruman said, dropping Arial's arm over her chest.

A dark guttural voice filled the hot and dimly lit cavern, "I am aware Saruman. Think you that I did not know of this girl's presence? I am the one who brought her here."

Surprise gut punched Saruman so hard he could not hide the fact. "My Lord?"

The chamber shook with a rumble that caused small bits of dust and debris to fall from the ceiling. Saruman quaked with fear, but dared not to speak further or move.

"My servant obeyed and poisoned the human. Already she submits to my will…soon, she will be mine even as she returns to her own world."

Saruman could not understand why Sauron would place the existence of everyone and everything is danger of total destruction. Did he not consider his own existence? Saruman coughed and ventured another question, "Surely, my Lord, it has occurred to you of our current impending demise?"

Sauron laughed in his own disembodied fashion. "And yet here you stand _with _her." His voice echoed throughout the cavern, a sickly lullaby that caressed his bowed servant.

"Have you forgotten that I stood with Morgoth and at his knee, I learned the dark arts? My own Lord and Master opened to me his knowledge, for he was in the very presence of Eru at the beginning. He knew of the creation and existence of other worlds, realms, and dimensions. And now they are for me, an inheritance, in his steed."

For the first time in his life, Saruman knew real fear. His mind would never know true clarity as it did in this moment. Under the menacing presence of Sauron, Saruman with finality, perceived the very real threat of the Dark Lord, and Mordor. If left to his own devices, Arda would fall first. Then like dominoes, he would conquer other worlds and realms. His cancerous will and dominance would hold sway over the entire universe and be unstoppable. The one ring was the key to all of it. He felt the horror of this future reality down in his soul and trembled. No matter the cost, it was imperative that he, and not Sauron, obtained the ring.

Quickly, Saruman gathered his wits and formulated a plan he hoped would not be transparent to Sauron of obtaining ownership of the ring. He reached out and gently drew Arial's hand to himself. He could not use his abilities to heal her; the malignant one would immediately perceive and discern the source. Knowing what lay in store for her, he pitied her and strangely felt remorse. But if she were the only casualty on her world, he could accept that. Silently, he said his goodbyes to her, knowing that there was nothing he could do to save her from the doom that lay on her.

"When she has fully transformed into one of my servants, she will be my link between this world and her own. She will in effect, become my substantiated portal."

Those words caused Saruman's heart to skip a beat. He closed his eyes and begged Eru for aide in stopping Sauron's designs. Suddenly, Saruman felt small…

"Lay her before me that I might send her home. The time draws near to the point of utter destruction."

Saruman did as he was commanded. The pity in his heart swelled as he looked upon Arial's small body. He regretted that he did not possess the power to have had sent her back. A seed of hatred grew within him toward Sauron. No one deserved what the Lord of Mordor had done to this girl. To die in battle was one thing, but to be kidnapped from your home so many light years distant and have your free will stolen and be cursed to exist as one of the Nazgul was another matter that repulsed him. She had been innocent, and ignorant of his world. Now, the doom of Mordor was upon her, and she would never escape.

He bent down again and waited.

Sauron's voice grew to resemble thunder as he chanted the black speech. Louder and louder, the voice grew until Saruman had to cover his ears from shield himself from pain. When the voice had reached its crescendo, Saruman fell onto his face and curled into a fetal position.

A whirl of lights and wind gathered over Arial's body, lifting her from the ground and engulfing her body. As suddenly as the spectacle appeared, it vanished, taking Arial with it.

Saruman laid before the throne of Sauron for what seemed hours. Slowly, he stood, wiped off his robes and took his leave. He journeyed back to the Ornthanc with an unwavering purpose in his heart and the face of Arial forever seared into his mind. He knew what he must do, and he set his entire will to the gaining of the end of his goal, no matter the means he had to pursue.

**oOo**

Arial awoke. She looked about her with eyes that viewed the world differently. A loud crashing noise caught her attention. Click thump, click thump, click thump, on wooden flooring came nearer to the room where she sat on what she recognized as bedding. She stood to face the intruders without fear.

"Arial! Arial darling, it's Mommy. Where are you dear?"

"Arial, are you alright?" called another voice, masculine in nature.

Arial stood, unwavering and waited for the two humans to come to where she waited. She felt no fear, and no love for those who called to her. She felt nothing. She was neither female nor male. She only existed, but to what purpose, she did not yet know.

The two voices finally appeared in front of her in the doorway of the room she occupied. She recognized that they were human and heard their screams as she become an incorporeal being and drifted through the walls of the building to roam and await the command of her master. She knew his voice.

**oOo**

_AN: Hope you liked it. I thank everyone who read and followed my little fiction. I am grateful to all who reviewed. Until next time..._


End file.
